Is This The
… You won’t see this in the Mainstream Media
(Please Note: I have been student of Biblical eschatology for over 20 years and a serious student of Biblical eschatology for the last ten years.
There was a time that I simply accepted the traditional dispensational teaching on the tribulation, and the rapture. But honestly, after each conference or sermon series I attened on this matter, I came away more confused than before, although the teacher or pastor would usually offer the disclaimer that it was normal to not understand all of it.
But I became absolutely certain that John Nelson Darby (the originator of the idea of a rapture) did not have it all right. It was his mistake and it is anyone’s mistake to start at the end of a matter and try to study it by working to its conclusion. You have to start “at the beginning” or “in the beginning” and draw the conclusions given by scriptures “at the end” and it this case, “at the of time”.
The evolution of the tradtional teachings on the tribulation and the rapture has solved nothing, and has, at best, just created division. The traditional views,
The rapture is associated with the tribulation period. The timing of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is one of the most controversial issues in the church today. Some of the primary views are
-
- Pre-tribulation rapture (Dispensationalism)
- Historic pre-millennial pre-tribulation rapture
- Mid-tribulation rapture
- Post-tribulation rapture (Historical premillenilism)
- Preterism
A more recent view, the “Pre-Wrath Tribulation and Rapture” was a presented by a man named Robert Van Kampen, (1938-1999). Then in 1990 Marvin Rosenthal, a pastor, writer, and Biblical lecturer developed this viewpoint in his book, The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church. Rosenthal was not the originator of this new viewpoint. Rather, he was the one who popularized it with his book.
- Pre-wrath rapture (Sixth Tribulation Seal Rapture).
The previous viewpoints just do not and cannot make sense because they do not square with the plain and simple words of Jesus, His disciple’s and the Apostle’s tesimonies regarding the End of Days or the Last Days which are plainly found in the scriptures. They are a patchwork of partially realted or unrelated scriptures and events – an unsolvable ‘religious eschatological rubic’s cube’ or sorts.
It is my prayer and hope to dispel the mystery surrounding these matters and bring you the simple truth. It will require, however, careful reading, study and a thorough comparison with scriptures, on your part. (If you say “I have always heard differently” or “have been taught otherwise” so I will. not listen, then please stop here.
But please know that this is important.
It is important because most people are simply standing by staring skyward, waiting for an event that has already begun, but having done little-to-nothing in preparation, and scriptures admonish us to get ready, to be ready and to stay ready for what is upon us.
It matters because being ready for His Return is proof of true Christianity and only a true believer in Christ will be guaranteed to join Christ at the sound of His Great Trumpet call and escape the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.
It matters because being ready requires believing and doing what He has instructed us to do in preparation for His
return.
It matters because He has warned that “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your
name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them,
‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
It matters because many Christians are sitting idly waiting for an event that has already begun and they are not DOING what He told them to do and therefore are in grave danger
It matters because some of our family, friends and neighbors are completely unaware or just don’t believe that Christ will return and God’s final judgments will sentence them to outer darkness.
It matters because, as Christians, our faith, our convictions and our behaviors are speaking louder than our words
If there is any chance that you might sense that all is not as they have been saying or that you want to know “the rest of the story”, then please pray and read on.)
Matthew 24:3 says, “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
Verse 4, “And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.
Verse 5, “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.
Verse 6, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.
Verse 7, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
Verse 8, “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
Verse 9, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”
So, when will these things happen?
I. Many will come IN MY NAME:
This can be someone literally saying ‘I am the Christ’, but it is proving to be those who consider themselves as an emissary of Christ – such as ‘ordained pastors’ – who speak for Christ, but are blindly following ‘new age’ or errant doctrines; or, as we are clearly seeing, now, in our day, ‘institutional deception’, where entire denominations fall away from the clear teachings of Jesus and lead millions astray. (Also see “Shipwrecked”).
So, how can we know ‘which of the false Christs‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?
II. WARS and rumors of war:
There have been thousands upon thousands of wars and conflicts since the time of Christ. Most notable for their scope and breadth are the
- Religious Crusades (1095 – 1291, Muslims vs Latin Church, almost 2 million dead),
- WWI (1914 – 1918, 17 million dead), and
- WW2 (1939 – 1945, over 70 million dead).
Current wars and conflicts 2018: Interactive global conflict tracker.
So, how can we know ‘which wars and rumors of wars‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?
III. EARTHQUAKES & VOLCANOES:
Earthquakes are nothing new. In fact, they are so numerous that I can only give you a web link by period of time and let you view what has been recorded. But, Jesus did warn they would come.
Lists of earthquakes by period. (use the links below).
Volcanoes are nothing new, either, but it would seem that seismic events (volcanoes) are on the rise.
Figure 1. Graph lines showing the number of volcanoes reported to have been active each year since 1400 and 1800 C.E.
At first glance the nearly exponential increase through recent centuries suggests that the planet may soon be overwhelmed by volcanic activity, but this increase tracks the striking growth of global population that has spread potential observers of eruptions over much of the Earth and the technological advances that have facilitated reporting of those eruptions. Global Volcanism Program, 2013. Volcanoes of the World, Smithsonian Institution. January 2020.
So, how can we know ‘which EARTHQUAKES‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?
IV. FAMINES:
Famines have taken hundreds of millions of lives since the time of Christ, so this is nothing new, either.
So, how can we know ‘which FAMINES‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?
V. PERSECUTION:
Jesus tells us there will be a worldwide persecution of Christians. A look at history shows us that In the first few centuries, Christianity grew quickly. By A.D. 325, an estimated 7 million people were Christians, with as many as 2 million killed for their faith in Jesus.
However, according to a Christian think-tank. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) says 900,000 Christians have been ‘martyred’ in the last decade, equating to 90,000 a year and one every six minutes.
This may be the most dangerous time in history to be Christian
At least 327 million Christians face persecution, according to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), which released its biannual report on Religious Freedom in the World in November 2018. That is 7 percent of the world’s 2.3 billion Christians, estimated by Pew Research Center in 2015.
245 million Christians in the top 50 countries on Open Doors USA’s 2019World Watch List experience high levels of persecution (i.e.: torture, rape, sex-slavery, for conversion to Christianity, murder and genocide), an increase of 14 percent from 2018. Sixty percent of those enduring persecution are children; women and girls are most violated. Release International, a UK-based human rights watchdog in operation for the past 50 years who partner with U.S.-based “Voice of the Martyrs” said they expect global anti-Christian persecution is set to rise ‘sharply’ in 2019. – (Read the report here)
So, how can we know ‘whichperiod of Christian Persecution‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’?
So, where does all of this lead?
1. You will know when ‘The End of the Age’ is near, not when one or two of these events occur, but when ALL of ‘these things’ occur and converge concurrently, as Jesus said they would; then these things are the harbinger of ‘those things’ which have come to pass. (Also, see “The Tribulation of Those Days’).
2. The phrase “the beginning of birth pangs” is a statement made by Jesus in or around the year AD 30 and is a translation of the Greek archē _ ōdin . The meaning of the phrase, translated in the KJV as “the beginning of sorrows” is a direct reference to preliminary birth pangs that ultimately lead to the full scale contractions and travail, which leads to the actual birth.
Recognizing the Old Testament reference that Jesus was hearkening to is an essential, but often overlooked key to determining the timing of the prophecy. Jesus was pointing his disciples to two key passages from the prophet Isaiah.
The first passage is Isaiah 26, a portion of Scripture found in the middle of what is sometimes referred to as “Isaiah’s little apocalypse”. There, the Lord speaks through Isaiah, specifically contrasting the expectations of the Jewish people regarding deliverance, redemption and physical resurrection with the reality of the pain, suffering and travail that they had corporately experienced. In verses 16-18, the complaint of Israel is raised that despite having endured the great suffering of labor, the expected “birth” of deliverance, redemption and resurrection had not arrived.
This makes clear that the Last Days and the opening of the tribulation Seals began in our around A.D. 30. Other references which confirm this date are
Matthew 24:4-31, (Jesus), describing a panorama of the tribulation and the Last Days. Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them, (see Matthew 24:3-4),
(1). “In the Last Days, there will be a rise of false Christs and false prophets. (This was an ongoing problem since as early as A.D. 35. See Matthew 24:4-5).
(2). In the Last Days, there will be famines and earthquakes. (This has been a regular occurrence since as early as A.D. 35 or earlier. See Matthew 24:7 and the 4th Tribulation Seal, found in Revelation 6:5-8).
(3). In the Last Days, there are wars and rumors of wars. (Wars and rumors of war have been occurring since as early as A.D. 35 or earlier. See Matthew 24:6 and the 2nd Tribulation Seal, found in Revelation 6:3-4).
(4). In the Last Days, there will be a persecution and martyrdom of Christians. (This has been an ongoing problem since as early as A.D. 35. See Matthew 24:9 and the 5th tribulation Seal, found in Revelation 6:9-11).
(5). In the Last Days, there will be a falling away from the faith. (This has been an ongoing problem since as early as A.D. 35, and has been increasing to this very day. See Matthew 24:10).
These things, false Christs, wars and rumors of war, famines, earthquakes and plagues, persecutions, martyrs, which Jesus calls the ‘Birth Pangs’ of the tribulation, are nothing new; and from these cited verses, we can plainly see that the first 5 tribulation Seals have been broken, and the effects had begun between the time of the birth of Jesus and A.D 95, and have been overlapping and increasing in their intensity since those early days.
Jesus calls the 1st phase of the tribulation the ‘Birth Pangs’ (Matthew 24:8). Jesus then calls the 2nd phase of the tribulation, the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21), also known as the 6th Tribulation Seal (Revelation 6:12-14), and the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord (Joel 2:31), and the Wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:16).. (Please click these links for verification and understanding).
Now, what would you think?
Acts 2:14-17, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be…’ (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
1 Peter 1:20, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “He, (Jesus), was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
1 Peter 4:7, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “The end of all things is at hand.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
2 Peter 3:3. (the Apostle Peter), saying, “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
If these verses say all these things began occurring in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60, and Peter called those days the LAST TIMES, THE LAST DAYS, and it is THE END OF ALL THINGS.
What would you think?
1 Corinthians 10:11, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “Now these things happened to them as an example and warning [to us]; they were written for our instruction [to admonish and equip us], upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
Hebrews 1:2, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
Hebrews 9:26, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “But as it is, Jesus has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
If these verses say all these things began occurring in the LAST TIMES, THE DAYS, and it is THE END OF ALL THINGS.
What would you think?
2 Timothy 3:1, (Timothy), saying, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
If these verses say all these things began occurring in the LAST TIMES, THE DAYS, and it is THE END OF ALL THINGS.
What would you think?
1 John 2:18. (the Apostle John), saying, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).
Revelation 1:9, (The Apostle John), saying, “I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 95 to A.D. 100).
- Acts 2:14-17,
- 1 Corinthians 10:11,
- 2 Timothy 3:1,
- Hebrews 1:2,
- Hebrews 9:26,
- 1 Peter 1:20,
- 1 Peter 4:7,
- 2 Peter 3:3.
- 1 John 2:18.
- Revelation 1:9,
as spoken by Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter, John and Timothy the disicple of Jesus.
(You can also see a teaching by Pastor and Teacher, John Piper on the timing of the End Times. But, one of the first, most accurate, and persistent advocates of the Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church can be found at Zion’s Hope, with videos on this site.)
3. You must ask yourself, “why would Jesus warn His disciples (and subsequent disciples or anyone who would eventually read His Words in the Bible) about these coming events if they would not experience these events? Said another way, if we would have been Raptured before the tribulation, why warn us? Why warn His disciples and followers about something they would not experience?” The anwer is, “HE WOULD NOT HAVE WARNED US UNLESS WE WOULD ENDURE THE FIRST 5 TRIBULATION SEALS, AND WOULD NEED TO BE PREPARED!”
NOTE: The first five tribulation seals have been opened progressively since around the time of the birth of Jesus through around A.D. 95. These seals overlap (occur concurrently and converge), and are increasing in intensity, which will lead to the future 6th Tribulation Seal, which is the begining of the Day of God’s Wrath, cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun, the Rapture, the multitude of people out of the tribulation before the throne of God, the Sealing of the 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel.
4. How can we tell WHICH ‘wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes’ were the result of the breaking of the first Seal of the tribulation, because there have been thousands of them since Jesus said these words.
5. I say again, Jesus, the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy, plus direct, clear and obvious scriptural references in Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 9:26, Acts 2:14-17, 2 Timothy 3:1, 1 Peter 1:20, 1 Peter 4:7, 2 Peter 3:3 confirm that these events began in or around the year A.D. 30.
6. Was Jesus wanting to ‘scare’ listeners into believing by warning them ahead of time? (I think not. Trickery just doesn’t fit Jesus Character, and He tells us “do not be frightened” by these things.)
7. Jesus tells His disciples (and subsequent disciples or anyone who would eventually read His Word in the bible), in Matthew 24:6 that
“You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. Verse 7. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Verse 8. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”
And a few verses later, Matthew 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
If we will have been “Raptured” and out of harms way when these things begin, then why would He be telling us these things?
Why is Jesus telling us that we should not be frightened by the WARS, Rumors OF WARS, NATIONS RISING AGAINST NATIONS, FAMINES, EARTHQUAKES, and that we must ENDURE TO THE END TO BE SAVED if we would not be affected?
Again I ask if we will have been “Raptured” and out of harms way when these things begin, then why would He be telling us these things?
5. When you compare Jesus’ Words in the book of Matthew with John the Revelator’s account of the ‘End of Days’ in Revelation, why do you get the very real sense that something about pre-tribulation evangelical or reformed doctrines of the end times don’t line up with or doesn’t fit with what you read IN THE BIBLE.
Look at it this way: When Hurricane Irma hit the U.S. it was a category 5 storm; As Irma progressed up the peninsula of Florida, it became a category 4 storm; then as it entered Alabama it became a category 3 storm; and finally as it entered Georgia, Irma became a tropical storm; and later as it entered Tennessee, it became a rain event.
To those in the various states which hurricane Irma entered, it would have appeared to them that Irma might have been 5 different storms, occurring consecutively; first a Category 5 storm, then, a Category 4 storm, then, a Category 3 hurricane, then, a Tropical storm, and, finally, a rain event. But if viewed “From Above” it was ONE CONTINUOUS STORM, progressively unfolding to its conclusion
Next: “How We Should Prepare and Respond in These Last Days”.
Your Brother and Friend
Mike Young
Go to these links. Study. Learn.
WHEN WILL THE TRIBULATION BEGIN – OR HAS IT ALREADY BEGUN?
THE END OF THE AGE – a short, and to-the-point, series about the Last Days.
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