What I Believe About These Topics/Events In Bible Prophecy

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June 22, 2007

Report: IAF preparing for Iran strike

Envoy: Iran open to nuclear compromise

Envoys to discuss Mideast peace in Jerusalem

Israel wants Saudis in on peace efforts

Lebanon: Fatah Islam has been crushed

'Ahmadinejad doesn't want Jews' annihilation'

Ahmadinejad 'Only Seeks Regime Change' in Israel

Egyptian president initiates four-way summit with Israel, Jordan and PA

Iran admits to supporting Hamas, Hizbullah

America prepares for 'cyber war' with China

A third US carrier, the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise Strike Group is speeding towards the Persian Gulf

EU conference expected to break Constitution deadlock

Ahmadinejad: A strong Iran will help Russia

Pakistan said building third nuclear reactor

Comments

Rapture of the church: pre-tribulation
The next big event on the Bible prophecy calendar is the rapture of the church (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).  This is when all who are in Christ will rise to meet the Lord in the air.  I believe it will be a pre-tribulation rapture.  

Certainly, there is Scripture after Scripture that proclaims that Christ will come for his church prior to the tribulation period.  But I won't belabor this point since I have written many articles on this subject.  You can find many of them in my chronological and prophecy answer sections on my main page.  (also see Is The Rapture True? Does It Matter? & The Rapture: Pre-Tribulation).

How much does satan know about the end times?
Many believe that satan knows the whole Bible and point to the time when he used scripture to tempt the Lord in the wilderness...but that doesn't mean he understands it all.  For anyone to understand the complete Bible and the principles therein he/she must have the Holy Spirit to explain it to them.  An unsaved person might read it and may understand some details but that's only because the Spirit is opening their eyes a little that they might be saved.  

You may recall, satan twisted scripture when he confronted Eve and as well when he tempted the Lord.  But satan, the fallen angel, knows only what the Lord has revealed to him.  Take a look at this passage of scripture found in I Peter 1:8-12: 

[8] Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
[9] Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
[10] Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
[11] Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
[12] Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 

Verse twelve indicates that there are things that God hasn't revealed unto the angels (salvation or prophetic interpretation).  According to this scripture they simply don't grasp the full concept.  It hasn't been revealed to them.  satan would certainly be no exception.  God only reveals things to those He wishes to receive it with the main recipients being His children. 

One other thing that needs to be mentioned!  satan is merely a tool for God's use.  He may use him to conform us to be more like Christ.  God may use him to bring others to seek Him or to separate the wheat from the chaff (millennium) or any one of a million reasons. 

Contrary to what you may think, this isn't a war of good versus evil.  God isn't sitting in some heavenly war room trying to anticipate satan's next move.  The battles over and the victory has already been won.  Jesus didn't die on the cross to counter what satan did back in the garden.  Jesus died because we are sinners (apart from satan) and we are in desperate need of a Savior, period!  This becomes profoundly evident during the millennium age for which satan will be absent, chained and banished from the earth for one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3).  The Bible states that even though satan is gone Jesus will have to rule the world with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).  This proves that man's sin problem is present even in the absence of satan's temptations.

When the rapture occurs, there will be great shock around the world.  Many believe that a great deception will have to follow the rapture for the world to go on something such as an UFO abduction to explain away the millions that will suddenly disappear.  But truthfully, I don’t believe God cares what the world thinks nor will He try to deceive them.  This event will happen, it will cause shock as 9/11 did, and the world will get over it in time.  How much time I don’t know, but it really doesn’t matter, whatever God has planned will go on as scheduled. 

About the time satan is ready to presents his unholy trinity God will rapture the church.  As I said, I believe the rapture will completely take satan by surprise, but he will also realize that his enemy (the Holy Spirit) is no longer opposing him.  He will finally be free to do his will...he thinks.  

His first concern will be to develop his kingdom.  Although the world will initially be in hysteria satan will quickly restore calm with one of his many lies.  Without the hand of God and the protecting power of the Holy Spirit the world will be no match for satan and will fall prey to his deceptions.  This world will quickly fall deep into apostasy and back to what they believe to be a normal way of life.  

Can we identify the Antichrist today?
Although I've made what I call intelligent speculative guesses over the years, truthfully, I don't believe we will know (positively) who the antichrist is until after the rapture of the church. Scripture says that he can't even begin to be revealed until after a great falling away (great departure-rapture of the church) occurs and the Holy Spirit is taken out a way (II Thessalonians 2:2-9).  In fact, it's possible his identity may remain hidden to most up until the midway point of the tribulation period when he will declare himself to be God (Revelation 13).

I realize that Revelation 13:18 states "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six."  But I don't believe the wisdom to discern this person will be granted until after the start of the tribulation period.  We must remember, this passage has been around for 2000 years yet no one in this timeframe has discovered his identity.  Soon, that will all change and the wisdom necessary to discern him will be granted but it won't be until after he has been revealed.

Will there be a gap of time between the rapture and the tribulation period? 
Yes, I believe there will be. This will be the time when satan will likely form his kingdom.  The antichrist and false prophet could rise within days, months or even years after the rapture.  We should remember that it’s not mandatory that anything happen immediately after the rapture. 

Lifestyles will not change much, but with the absence of the Holy Spirit working in men’s lives, their hearts will become ever increasingly anti-Christ (II Thessalonians 2:9-12).  A call for tolerance in every aspect of life (acceptance of abortion, homosexuality, etc.) and religion will bring about a convergence of religious bodies.  But the true one world religion will not come to pass until the antichrist declares himself to be God (Revelation 13). 

When the rapture occurs the Holy Spirit will leave with Christians.  I’m sure the Holy Spirit will be present in some capacity during this time but to what degree is unknown. 

It could be during this time gap that the European Union ratifies its constitution and elects a permanent president.  This could also happen before the rapture of the church.  I look for a tremendous amount of global political change to take place during this time. 

This scenario could happen during the gap or early in the tribulation period.  Israel agrees to a temporary ceasefire or even peace with the Arab world.  Six months to a year later the Russian-Arab Alliance marches on Israel.  As predicted in Ezekiel 38-39 God destroys the alliance supernaturally with fire and brimstone, plagues, disease, and a great earthquake.  The world will be in shock over this miraculous defeat of the great Russian-Arab Alliance.  The Bible says the world will clearly see that God defeated this great army (Ezekiel 38:23).  As a result, many nations will turn to the Lord.  Israel will burn the weapons of this war for fuel for seven years (Ezekiel 39:9-10) and it will take seven months to bury the dead (Ezekiel 39:11-13).  They could also rebuild the temple during this time.

Is the ark of the covenant still around?
Yes, I believe it is! 
After this stunning victory over the Russian-Arab Alliance Israel will rush to rebuild their temple.  It is at this time that I believe the Ark Of The Covenant will finally be revealed.  

I am convinced that scripture supports that the Ark Of The Covenant will be used during the tribulation period but forgotten when Christ comes to rule and reign on the earth for one thousand years during the Millennium. 

A reader of mine brought this verse to my attention:

"And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more." (Jeremiah 3:16) 

This verse speaks of the Millennium when Jesus will rule and reign for one thousand years.  Of course, this is future, but what caught my attention was the portion of the scripture that stated (speaking of the Ark) "neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more".  

I realize that in the context of the entire chapter many interpret this verse to mean that Israel will forget the memory of the Ark Of The Covenant when the Lord comes back to rule the earth. But is it possible that it could be foretelling the revealing of the Ark Of The Covenant in the last days (tribulation period/rebuilding of the temple) just before the Lord's coming? 

The two witnesses
It is generally believed that the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3-13 God's Witnesses) will come on the scene at the same time the antichrist and the false prophet does.  It will be through these two men that God will spread the Gospel.

When the two witnesses do come their ministry will center around Jerusalem.  I believe they will be responsible for starting a great revival that will see at least 144,000 Jews saved in the early days of the tribulation period (Revelation 7:4-8).  These 144,000 Jews will in turn be sealed by God (indwelt by Holy Spirit) and sent throughout the world to preach the Gospel.  As the Holy Spirit was taken from the world when the rapture took place He will be re-introduced back into the world through the two witnesses and 144,000 witnesses.  Many will come to know the Lord during this time and most will die for that privilege (Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-17).  

The two witnesses will not be born into the world but will be sent from God. Yes, God could bring them into the world through birth (He alone has this power), but I don’t believe He will. These will be men sent from heaven who will have heavenly bodies equipped especially for the task at hand. God will supply them with supernatural powers and they will not be able to be killed until their mission is complete. When the antichrist does kill them, God will have allowed it. I’m sure satan will think he has won, but he’s only walking deeper into the trap.

There has been much speculation regarding the two witnesses and their identities. I believe they will be Moses and Elijah, because they appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration, but whoever they are, they will be a devastating combination.

Their message will be one of repentance, judgment and preparation for the coming King. They will be dressed in sackcloth and their ministry will last the first three and a half years of the tribulation period. Although many will try, no one will be able to harm them. They will be given special powers to kill their enemies with fire or whatever means their enemies attempt to kill them. They will have the power to stop the rain from falling for the full three and a half years. They will have the power to turn water to blood, to call fire down from heaven and to bring massive plagues on the earth. Anyone who attempts to stop them from fulfilling their earthly ministry will be literally destroyed. No man or army will be able to stop or hinder their mission, not even the antichrist.

Yes, both the antichrist and the Lord’s two witnesses will be on the scene at the same time, but he will be powerless against them. But at the conclusion of the three and a half years God will allow the antichrist to kill them.  This will be a wonderful day as far as the world is concerned, so wonderful that the Bible says they will exchange gifts and have great celebrations because these men who tormented them are now dead.  But after three days of partying and celebration, God will raise them from the dead and take them back to heaven for all the world to see.

If christians are raptured who will be a witness to the world?
Another question comes to mind from those who do not hold to a pretribulation rapture is, “If the church is raptured who will be a witness to the world?”

Since Christ’s ascension, many through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, have found new life. The commission to evangelize the world was placed upon the early church and its stamp of success guaranteed through the working of the Holy Spirit. For it is through the foolishness of preaching that men are saved (I Corinthians 1:21). Even though this world has had its share of hypocrites, false teachers, and those who have discredited the Gospel, one thing is for certain, the Gospel has been successfully preached. Persecution, torture, abandonment, and all manner of evil have only served to strengthen and further the Gospel message. Down through the centuries many have died for the cause of Christ and many more will die in the coming tribulation period.

Where am I going with this?  For over the 2,000 years, God has raised up a very successful church that has preached the Gospel to every corner of the world. Missionaries have up and left all to follow the Lord’s leading. God’s will has been done, and done with great success, even today. My question is simple! With the success of the church, why will God send 144,000 evangelists and two witnesses to preach the Gospel to the world if the church is still here? He has used and empowered the church body for centuries to fulfill the Great Commission. Why would that change during the tribulation period? History has proven persecution has only served to strengthen and further the Gospel with greater power.  

There’s only one conclusion: Jesus will rapture His church before the tribulation period begins. If God needed the church to stay behind and be a witness during the tribulation period, the two witnesses, the angels in the sky, and 144,000 Jewish evangelists would not be necessary.

It is to this hope that I look daily for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to return and take His bride.

Can anyone survives tribulation Period?
If you are reading this, and do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior, I hope this will be a tool that the Lord uses to open up your eyes to your need for Him. Your future and eternity could depend on what you decide at this very moment. Don’t let this opportunity to know Christ pass you by. It may be your last!

I have always questioned if there are specific procedures that one could follow that would enable them to survive the tribulation period.  After much searching, I have come to the conclusion that it will be by the grace of God that anyone survives. Let me put this time period in perspective. The tribulation period will be so devastating and so horrible Jesus said, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: But for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Matthew 24:22).”

At present, there are 6.58 billion people on the earth.  When the rapture takes place, millions will be taken from this world leaving billions to go through the tribulation period. 

At first, the world will change very little physically.  Men will still be “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (Matthew 24:38).   But spiritually, there will be a significant change. 

When Christians are taken from the earth the Holy Spirit will go with them (II Thessalonians 2:6 & 7).  This will begin the great falling away that will lead right into the tribulation period (II Thessalonians 2:3). 

For some time the world will coexist in harmony…how long is unknown.  It’s also unknown at what point the world will realize who the antichrist is.  It is very possible that it could be years into the tribulation period before anyone makes the connection. 

At some point in time, peace will be taken from the earth and a great world war will commence (Revelation 6:3-8).  Many will die (1/4 of world population) during this war but it should be noted that many more will be injured in varying degrees.

This will be a horrible time and whatever comes out on the other side of this war is what one should fear.  From this time forward the world will change dramatically.

Following the war, the antichrist and his kingdom will have survived.  Astonishingly, tiny Israel will survive as well. 

Many believe that the antichrist will enter the tribulation period with a ten-nation kingdom.  Certainly, at some point his kingdom will number ten nations but he may have more at the beginning of the tribulation and prior to the war.  You can bet new alliances will be formed and it may be following this war that the antichrist forms his final ten-nation kingdom.

Whether this will be the time Russia and the Islamic nations attack Israel is unknown, but if a war of this magnitude breaks out, I have to believe their anger will be focused upon them.  But God’s divine intervention will bring about a great deliverance that will shake the world from its very foundation. 

Russia and the Islamic world will likely suffer a devastating defeat that they will not recover from at least not during the tribulation period.  The War of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38 & 39) may be the very reason behind what starts this war to begin with.

With much of the world in ruins the antichrist will rise up and take charge.  Many will see him as a savior while others will finally see him as he is.  Either way, he will force his way upon the world and they will worship him (Revelation 13). 

This will be the darkest and most horrific time in the history of mankind.  Many will die and many more will suffer unspeakable terrors.  This time will be so horrible that “the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, [will hide] themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And [say] to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17)

This leads us to our topic...can anyone survive the tribulation period and what are the odds? Nobody knows for sure, but the Bible says that one-quarter of the world’s population will be eliminated (Revelation 6:7, 8) when the fourth seal is broken and another one-third will die when the sixth trumpet sounds (Revelation 9:13-19). That doesn’t even include the complete destruction of Mystery Babylon, the worldwide earthquake, the complete annihilation of the Russian Alliance, The Battle of Armageddon, and so on. After all this, no matter how much food you have stored away, a person’s chances of being in that number would be very slim.

Let’s say five billion people enter into the tribulation period. It has been estimated that as many as four billion will die leaving one billion survivors. Following the seven-year tribulation period the Lord will rule with a “rod of iron” and execute judgment on the nations to determine who will enter into the millennium. The criterion is simple...those who befriended Israel (and don’t take the mark) during the tribulation period will be allowed to enter into the Millennial Age. Those who do not meet this criterion will be executed without mercy.  In some cases, entire nations could be wiped out.

When all is said and done only a fraction of the world’s population will be left. I will be conservative and estimate that 500 million will be allowed to enter the Millennial Age.

Frankly, I think that number is high, but nevertheless, that means a person who enters the tribulation period has a one in ten chance of survival. Oh, and by the way, that number includes only those who do not take the mark of the beast.  Virtually everyone will and in the end, they will be executed.

Are you ready to meet the Lord?  If not, your time is running out!

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If you haven't had a chance to take a look at my book "Revelation Revealed", I encourage you to go to my website and explore what this book has to offer.  I believe it will give you a clear understanding of the end times and the order in which it may come.  Pick up a copy today for yourself or a loved one who does not know the Lord.  I know it will be a spiritual blessing to you and will help support this ministry.  To order a copy of Revelation Revealed please click here.

Terry Malone