Sudden floods, mudslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, heatwaves and bush fires. Fighting within counties, terrorism, financial instability, widespread unemployment. What is going on?
Didn’t Jesus warn, “there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places”? Doesn’t it say in Revelations 6 about the four apocalyptic horsemen that ‘power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth’. (Just remember we aren’t told whether these horsemen are the servants of men or of God.)
A Biblical timetable of events
The next big event, Biblically speaking, which will take the world by surprise, is the “snatching away” of the “saved” ones – who truly belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thes 4:16-17)
“The rapture”, as it is commonly referred to, will remove handfuls of truly “born again” people – those who have put their trust in the Lord Jesus and His atoning death at Calvary as God’s only provision to give eternal life; not through some religious system.
A Time of Great Trouble
Once God has taken out His own blood-bought, redeemed people, there will begin a time which will ultimately see great trouble for the world. A time of ‘peace’ for some will be short lived as the new dictator inflicts his evil agenda on the planet. The World Leader (false Messiah / man of peace), who promises wonderful things, will soon turn life into a nightmare for many.
For the Jews it will become a horrific time worse than anything they have ever known in history. This time is spoken about in the Bible as a time of “great tribulation“. We know from Daniel 9:27 that the false Messiah, who has become a world leader, “will confirm the covenant with many”, then break the covenant which he has confirmed, halfway through the agreed time of 7 years.
Once this false Messiah turns against the Jews and their temple worship, a terrible time of trouble will follow for them. God will use this time of great trouble to purify His chosen people, the Jews. They will turn to Him, acknowledging Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, and He will return to earth and save them.
God’s wrath
Before Christ returns to earth the false Messiah will take action against anyone opposing him, especially anyone who sides with God or Jews. He will also be out to destroy any who have a copy of the Bible. But even if people are at peace with the false Messiah they will still have someone greater to consider – God. The wrath of holy God will be against the Gentile (non Jewish) nations of the world, as He judges them for their rebellion against Him, their hatred of His righteous ways, their terrible treatment of Bible believers and Jews, for “destroy[ing] the earth” (Rev 11:18) and for dividing up His land, Israel. They will see God to be sovereign, yet most will reject and hate Him. The Bible says that people will cry out to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, so that they don’t have to come face to face with Christ whom they have rejected, as God’s wrath is poured on the planet.
After the Tribulation
At the end of the “Tribulation” the Lord Jesus Christ will come back to earth in person and save from certain destruction the one third of His people, Israel, who have survived thus far. He will set up His kingdom and reign for 1000 years as prophesied by His prophets and recorded in the Old Testament.
After the Millennium
After the Lord Jesus Christ reigns on earth for 1000 years Satan is released, having been “bound“ for that 1000 years in the “bottomless pit”. In his final fling he gathers a “number of whom is as the sand of the sea” to surround Jerusalem – to wipe it out. But he meets his end. Imagine … there is such hatred – even after a 1000 year reign of absolute justice and unparalleled productivity, in a world where the creator had brought about a restoration in the creation so that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled; “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” (Isa 11:6) It demonstrates the bankrupt condition of the human “heart” that rejects Christ.
The best is yet to come
The closing chapters of the Bible speak about “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1)
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up . . . Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Pet 3: 10, 13)
God has something better planned for His people than a world of suffering and pain. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Rev 21:4)
He wants everyone to accept His offer of salvation and enjoy eternity with Him.
The Lord is … longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
God’s plan is to save
The Bible tells us about God‘s plan to save people – the gospel of salvation.
This earth is just a launching pad for eternity. How will you get on when you stand before God?
Hebrews 9: 27 says: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. . .
and 2 Corinthians 5:10 says: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ . . .
The Bible makes it clear that only those who have come to God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ will be accepted by Him.
In John 14:6 Jesus said to His own disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
The good news of the Bible is that anyone can know Jesus Christ as the true “Saviour of the world”. He created the world and came to earth in human form to become the only Saviour who can save us.
Follow the ABC of the gospel and be assured that you are saved for eternity:
Admit to God that you are a sinner and need to be saved.
Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again.
Call upon the name of the Lord; ask Him to save you.