The RAPTURE of the Church – What is it?

Closer Look at the Rapture Chapter 4

One of the most persistent doctrinal questions from sincere, truth seeking people today is: What about the “rapture”? What happens when Jesus returns to earth? How soon is it going to happen? Who will be in it’ Many saints, enlightened by the Spirit, have come to an awakening realization that the old traditional theories of religion do not harmonize with the pure simple teaching of the Word of God.

We know that Jesus will return soon. Of this there is no doubt. The Bible makes this much plain. But how soon? And what happens at that time? Who will see Him? These are questions that deserve an answer. First let us start from the negative side, and expose the old false teaching so many hold to. We will examine the teaching and then show when and where this teaching originated. Then we will look at the Bible and see what it actually says, letting the Holy Spirit throw divine light on the Word and show how it harmonizes with what God is doing in the earth today.

“THE ESCAPE THEORY”

The word “rapture” does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Yet His word has been associated with the coming of Jesus, and spoken of as the “hope of the Church”. Although this word is not found in the Bible, it is found in the dictionary. Some dictionaries give more definitions and shades of meaning than others, but the dictionary I now have before me says simply “RAPTURE…strong feeling that absorbs the mind; very great joy.”

However, to most fundamentalist and Pentecostal people, the word rapture brings to their mind a picture of white robed saints leaving the earth and soaring through the air to a meeting on some clouds somewhere in outer space. This image has been preached evangelistically until many people have come to accept it as gospel fact, without bothering to check and see if that is what the Bible actually says.

According to the evangelists, the Trumpet may sound before he finishes preaching, or before you wake up in the morning. When that happens, the cemeteries burst open and the dead rise, and those still living go zooming off into space to meet the Lord. The reason for this is, they say, because the Antichrist will then appear and the Great Tribulation will begin. And God is far too good to let His people go through much tribulation. The implication is that they are far too weak to survive in the face of such demonic power. They will then attend the Marriage supper of the Lamb up in Heaven, get their “rewards” for their labors here, and have a wonderful seven years of joy and singing. While their unsaved loved ones, their children who may not have been born again, and the untaught millions of heathen are suffering untold agonies on earth. “Good enough for them”, seems to be the general attitude. “They should have gotten prepared, like me.”

This may not be your attitude, and this may not even be the way you see the “rapture”. Even within denominations, there are wide differences of opinions on this subject, ranging from violent “escape rapture” adherents, to those who are shaky or just don’t know. I have had many Pentecostal preachers to write and say, “Brother Britton, I know my denomination preaches this theory, but I have never gotten a witness to it, and just can’t find it in the Scripture.”

“PRE-TRIB, MID-TRIB, OR POST-TRIB?”

Because we dare to look into the Bible on this glorious subject of His coming, and dare to teach differently than the fundamentalist denominations, some spread the word that we do not believe in the coming of the Lord, or the catching up of his saints. This is not so. We believe in a very real “coming of the Lord”, while the “rapture” people actually believe in the “departure of the saints”. While we teach the “appearing of Jesus”, they teach the “disappearing of the Church”. I will explain more on that later.
For those who believe in a geographical removal of the saints from the earth at His coming, there are three basic concepts. 1. THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE. This means that God’s people will not be here for any of the seven years of plagues, vials, etc. Bumper stickers state: “In case of Rapture, this car will self-destruct”. Tracts for airliners say: “In case the Trumpet sounds, be prepared for this plane to crash, your pilot may be a Christian”. These things are designed to generate fear, and in some cases they do. One of the scriptures they use is Revelation 4:1-2 where John heard a voice “as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said:

“Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the Spirit: and behold a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.”

They say John was a type here of the Church being caught up off the earth into heaven. But it says no such thing. It does not even imply that John left the Isle of Patmos during this time that he was “in the Spirit”. In fact, in Revelation 1:10 John states that “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega”. Here he was in the Spirit first, then heard the trumpet. I have heard no one argue that he was a type of the “rapture” here, in Revelation 1.
Another verse they use is in Revelation 3:10…”Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” This, they say, proves we are removed from the earth during the time of tribulation. But it actually says no such thing. In fact, verse 9 says the opposite. It tells us that God will bring the enemy down before our feet. We have to be here for that to happen.

“WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN?”

Next we come to the Mid-trib. They believe that the Bible teaches that the Church will have to go through the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation while the Antichrist is warring against the saints, but will be raptured and spared the last three and a half years while God is pouring out the worst judgments upon the earth. They believe this because of the many scriptures that show God bringing His people through great fire and into glorious victory. Yet there are other scriptures which indicate a place of great joy and glory for the Overcomer during this time, so they surmise that God will take them off the earth during the last half. This is a “middle of the road” position, designed as a compromise between two seemingly different concepts in scripture.

Finally there are the “Post-tribulation” people. They believe that the Church goes through the entire seven years of tribulation (some believe in only 3 1/2 years total), and that only after the tribulation are the saints “caught up”, as according to Thessalonians. They see a Church being empowered by the Spirit to survive the worst onslaughts of Satan. They believe God is able to keep His saints in the midst of the fire, as with the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. This is an admirable attitude, and much closer to truth than the “Pre-trib” view that was born out of fear and selfishness.

Some think that if the “post-trib” teaching is right, that this would mean seven years of horrible suffering and untold agony for God’s people, and almost total destruction of the Church. But this is not so. A beautiful scripture in Isaiah 26:20-21 shows us that the Lord does not intend for His people to suffer the horrors of the Tribulation. Someone asks if the Church will be here on earth for the Tribulation, and the answer is NO! We will be here DURING the Tribulation, but we will not be here FOR it. While the Day of the Lord is a day of judgment for the wicked, that same Day of the Lord will be a day of glory and power for His anointed people! I intend to be here for the GLORY!

Isaiah says: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpass. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:” Now, the pre-tribulation rapture people say that this scripture proves that God will remove His people from this earth during the tribulation. It proves no such thing, and in fact, it says exactly the opposite. We will be here while the wrath of God is being poured out, but it shall not be poured out upon us, for we shall be hid in Christ. We shall be in an Ark of safety, as Noah was. “As it was in the days of Noah”.

ENOCH AND NOAH

Some like to point at Enoch, who was translated that he should not see death, and say that he is a type of those who are raptured before Tribulation. But Enoch did not live during the time that judgment was being poured out on the earth in the form of a flood. Enoch was translated 669 years before the Flood, and never met Noah. In other words, his translation was not for the purpose of helping him escape the flood. Jesus did not say: “As it was in the days of Enoch”…He said, “As it was in the days of NOAH”. And Noah went through the flood, protected by the Ark he had prepared and entered into. And when the flood was over, and the wicked had been “taken”, he stepped out of the Ark, and inherited the earth. He and his family were the only ones to own the earth now, for everyone else who might have had a deed to a piece of property was gone, along with their heirs. So there was no one left to dispute Noah’s claim. He inherited the earth. Read Psalm 37 and see the principle laid down in Scripture.

Paul never preached that message of fear. He never told the people they would escape the battle. In fact, in Ephesians 6 he urges them to put on the entire spiritual armor of God in order to be ready to face whatever came in the Tribulation. I don’t know how anyone could miss that, but they just seem to ignore it. Let me quote from Ephesians 6:13 to see how plain it really is: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand IN THE EVIL DAY, and having done all, TO STAND.” Not fly away, but stand! That’s the gospel Paul preached. That’s the true teaching concerning the Day of the Lord, the Great Tribulation, “that evil day”.

The “escape” that the Bible teaches is found in I Corinthians 10:13…”God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” God and His faithful people have always been victorious, and our “hiding place” is in Christ. “Your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). It is the fearful, the faithless, or the wicked, who seek a geographical hiding place. Some want to leave the earth and go somewhere else while some cry for the natural rocks and mountains to hide them. (Rev 6:15) Today, some are seeking a hiding place in some natural place, a farm, a desert, a foreign country, a wilderness area, etc. But it will not work. It is only another form of “self-rapture”. You cannot escape from the devil or Antichrist that way. Your protection and safety is only in Christ, and in absolute obedience to the Spirit of God. Whether it be on a farm or in the city, in a wilderness area or in a metropolitan center, the hiding place is the same…in Christ! Hallelujah! Don’t criticize those who leave the city, or move out of California, or go to a farm somewhere. Perhaps the Spirit has instructed them to do so, and their safety is in their obedience. And don’t criticize those who stay in the city, or refuse to flee from the coastal areas. They may simply be obeying the Spirit also. And this is where their safety lies. Everyone must be led of the Spirit, and not persuaded by someone else that the true doctrine is to “run and hide”.

NOT WHEN, BUT WHAT?

Confused by now? No doubt. For as yet we have only explained the various theories that are being preached about His coming, and given a negative and confusing picture. But hold on. The picture is getting brighter, and clearer. The big hassle about the return of the Lord has mostly been as to the time it happens…Pre-Mid-or Post. But the Spirit is speaking expressly these days, not so much as to the time of it, but rather as to what takes place when it happens.

Everyone has assumed that whenever it happens, we will go zooming off the earth into outer space to meet the Lord somewhere in another geographical location. Pictures have been drawn by artists, and distributed by the multiplied thousands, of Jesus standing on a stratocumulus cloud a few thousand feet in the air, while Christians are being lifted out of a village below. Some are a few feet off the ground, others halfway to the cloud, etc. A most unscriptural picture, yet many form their beliefs from this sort of thing, and take it as acceptable gospel truth. Let me give you the history of how this theory got started.

EDWARD IRVING AND MARGARET MACDONALD

Perhaps you have heard of the Irvingite movement, known as the Catholic Apostolic Church. The Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 12, 1966 issue, pages 648-649, describe Edward Irving and the controversy over his teachings in Scotland and England in the early 1800′s. He was excommunicated by the London presbytery, and in 1833 was condemned and deposed from the ministry of the Church of Scotland because of his teaching concerning “the sinfulness of Christ’s humanity”. He also began to teach a “rapture of the Church”, after a young scottish lass by the name of Margaret MacDonald went into a trance and described a vision in which she said she saw the saints leaving the earth at the return of the Lord, before the tribulation. Her trance and vision took place in the spring of 1830, while living in Port Glasgow, Scotland. Her “revelation” was recorded in a book written by R. N. Norton and printed in London in 1861. I have a copy of this portion of the book, though it is now out of print and almost impossible to obtain. Prior to this time, the Church, clear back to the Apostles, had always preached that the Church would go victoriously through the tribulation. There is no record of the “escape rapture” theory being preached before 1830. On April 30, 1831, a Mrs. J. B. Cardale, who later joined Irving’s church, had uttered a personal revelation in a home prayer meeting, echoing Margaret MacDonald’s revelation of a pre-tribulation rapture.

It was from this supposed revelation that the modern doctrine and modern phraseology respecting it arose. It came not from Scripture, but from that which falsely pretended to be the Spirit of God. Edward Irving accepted this teaching, and it was taught at prophetic meetings at Powerscourt House in Ireland, attended much by Plymouth Brethren organizer John Darby. Irving’s views influenced Darby, C. H. Mackintosh, and C. I. Scofield (whose Bible notes popularized the new theory). So it was a young Scottish girl who originated this idea, and is so recorded on page 15 of Norton’s book on the Catholic Apostolic Church. Darby, Scofield along with Clarence Larkin and his charts began to teach this new theory, and in the early 1900′s it reached a peak in popularity.
When the Holy Spirit was poured out in Pentecostal power at the turn of the century, the Lord emphasized the fact of the nearness of the coming of Christ. But the Pentecostals got no new light at that time on the specific events of His appearing. They carried over what the non-Pentecostals had been teaching regarding Miss MacDonald’s “revelation”. When I was in a Pentecostal bible school in 1947 which promoted the escape rapture theory, I discovered that our “textbook” also had statements in it denouncing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues in our day as being demon inspired. I was shocked to learn that we were being taught about the coming of the Lord by men who claimed our Pentecostal experience was of the devil! My reaction was to ask, “Why doesn’t God raise up Spirit filled men who can give us real revelation on prophetic events by the inspiration and enlightenment of the Holy Ghost? Well, praise God, He did!

HE IS REALLY COMING!

So much for the history of the false. Now let us look at the Bible, and see what it really says about what this “catching up” is all about. While many Pentecostal people, churches, and denominations were “dying on the vine”, God was still moving by His Spirit. Hungry, concerned saints began to hear from God in a fresh and glorious way. Half a century after the restoration of the Holy Ghost Baptism and gifts of the Spirit had begun, a fresh outpouring of the Spirit swept across America and around the world. Among the vital truths established through that Move of the Spirit was the fact that the Body of Christ was one body, and that divisive denominational systems were not of God. “Come out of her, my people” was the call that went forth. It became clear to many that no man-made ecclesiastical system would accept or contain the great thing that God was preparing to do in the earth. In fact, what God was about to do would be a means of destroying the power of Babylon and the whole Harlot system. So the Move of God became the worst enemy the denominations had. Let me make a difference between the denominational systems that divide God’s people and the precious people, preachers, and even officials bound up in these systems. God loves those dear people, and so do I. But He hates the Babylonian systems that divide the saints into warring camps and prevent them from progressing into new spiritual truths. . and SO DO I!

Another wonderful truth that God began to give revelation on was the coming of Christ. First of all, He gave glorious revelation on the mystery of the appearing of “Christ in you, the hope of Glory”. Light began to break on our hearts, from the Scriptures, regarding the sons of God, the Overcomer, the Manchild company, the Army of the Lord, the Melchisedec priesthood, etc. Then the Spirit began to show us that the old rapture theory of escape did not fit in with the very nature of God nor the principles by which He always operated. Back to the Bible we went, to examine again the scriptures we had based this teaching on. Besides the ones I mentioned in the book of Revelation, there was I Thessalonians 4,

Matthew 24, Luke 17, Isaiah 26:20 and others. Other scriptures such as Matthew 25 and the ten virgins, had been twisted all out of shape trying to make them look like they were saying that we had been taken off the earth at the rapture.

“ONE TAKEN. . . AND THE OTHER LEFT”

To give you an idea of the way the scriptures were mutilated by those straining to prove this theory, let us look at the example in Matthew 24. Here it tells us that at His coming, “one shall be taken, and the other left”. Songs were written, and sermons were preached, to urge us to be ready to be “taken” when Jesus comes. When actually, the Bible is saying the exact opposite. It was the wicked that were “taken” in Noah’s day, and the righteous were left to inherit the earth. So shall it be in the day of the coming of the Son of man.

Matthew 24:37-41 says:
“But as the days of Noe were, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

Now who was taken in Noah’s day? The wicked! Will it be different now? No, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. That’s what the Bible says. And if there is still any doubt in your mind as to whether the saints will be “taken when Jesus comes”, let us turn to Luke 17:27. While Matthew says that the “flood came and took them all away”, Luke gives the same account of this teaching of Jesus, except that in Luke we read: “and the flood came and destroyed them all”. So to be “taken” means to be destroyed by the judgments that are coming upon the earth. Do you still want to be taken?

THE PENTECOSTAL EVANGEL SPEAKS

In April 1961, while living in the village of Carney, Oklahoma, I published a message on this subject entitled “One Shall Be Taken”. Although we had just a little over a thousand on our mailing list at that time, this message caused such an uproar and storm of protest from some quarters, that I thought I would have to hit the storm cellar. Carney, Oklahoma was in “tornado alley”, and after I published this message, I thought I had been hit by one. However, it opened the eyes of many sincere people, and made them realize that they had been duped and deceived by those who had twisted the scripture to try to make it mean something it did not say.
It seems that with many, the “rapture” theory had become a “sacred cow”, and to question this teaching or expose it as false was like attacking the blood of Jesus or the virgin birth or motherhood. Good men almost got violent about it. Rumors would be started that you must be dabbling in spiritualism, free-love, or even devil worship, if you didn’t believe in the good old rapture. Dare to “rupture the rapture”? Be careful. It was dangerous to your reputation. But thank God, some cared more for truth than they did for their reputation! And the truth marched on!
After being attacked by Pentecostal preachers for saying that in Matthew 24 it was the wicked who were “taken” and the righteous were left, I was delighted to find this same truth brought forth in the official organ of the Assemblies of God. I am quoting from the January 1, 1967 issue of the PENTECOSTAL EVANGEL, “Official voice of the Assemblies of God” (page 4), Springfield, Missouri. On page 9 of this magazine, in an article about the 24th chapter of Matthew, we read: “Contrary to what is often taught…the Rapture is not in evidence here. Those “taken” are the wicked, who are taken in judgment – just as the wicked in Noah’s time (mentioned in the preceeding verse) were taken in judgment. Those “left” are the righteous who remain to enjoy the blessings of the Millennium which will follow Christ’s return to earth.” unquote. The same thing I had said six years before. How do you like that? Thank God for men everywhere who are willing to tell it like it is. Even if the majority disagree with them.

WHO ARE THE ELECT?

In the early part of this 24th chapter of Matthew, Jesus is telling of the signs of His second coming and the end of this age. In verse 21 He speaks of the Great Tribulation, and in verse 22 He says that the “elect” will be here at that time. And in verse 24 He says that the false prophets and false Christs would try to deceive “the very elect”. Then in verses 29-31 He gives a sequence of events:

“After the tribulation of those days, the sun and moon shall be darkened and the powers of heaven shaken, then the tribes of the earth shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, then His angels shall gather the elect together.”

Now this should be plain enough, and stop all arguments. But men have devised a scheme to get around these scriptures. They simply say that “the elect” are not Christians, they are the Jews who are left here after the rapture. All you have to do is get a concordance, and read every scripture that mentions the “elect” of God, and see who they are. Start with Romans 8:33, Colossians 3:12, I Peter 1:2 and Mark 13:20.

“WHAT DO YOU DO WITH I THESSALONIANS?”

Good question. The answer is, I believe it and preach it. But I believe what it says, not the fables men have built around it. Turn with me now to I Thessalonians 4:13-18… Read the entire context, and see the subject he is dealing with. He starts out by saying “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep” (in death). So the subject matter in this portion of scripture is what happens to those who have died, those who did not survive until the coming of the Lord, until the manifestation of the sons of God that he preached and wrote about. Will they miss out on the glory of that Day of the Lord? Oh, no. Paul tells us in II Corinthians chapter 5 that when a man of God dies, his body goes to one place and his spirit (his conscious life) goes to another. “To be absent from the body is to be in the presence of the Lord.” We are not sleeping or unconscious in His presence. That part of us that has eternal life is still living and conscious when we go into His presence. Our dead bodies, that part of us that ceases to have life, sleeps in the grave. Whether it is put into a tomb, or is cremated, or eaten by lions, makes no difference. When the spirit leaves the body, the body immediately “descends” into that state of death (lower parts of the earth), while the spirit “ascends” into His presence.

At the second coming of Christ, the order is reversed. The physical body “rises” or ascends from the state of death, no matter whether it has become bones, dust, ashes, or food for the birds. Out of the state of death that physical body rises into a glorified state, like unto His “body of glory” (Philippians 3:21). Meanwhile, not leaving the presence of God, but descending with Jesus back into this visible earth realm, the conscious spirit once again is joined to the body which it left at death. Only in a much higher realm. (And “higher” does not mean somewhere up in the sky where airplanes fly and rain clouds drift about).
So Paul is comforting their hearts about the fate of their loved ones who are going on to be with the Lord. He is not saying to them “don’t worry, we shall see them someday up in heaven”. He is saying that they are coming back with Jesus for the great Day of the Lord and the events connected with that. Read on in chapter 5 and see that this is so. I can hear someone say: “Oh, I want to go to heaven someday and see Mother”. Well, don’t worry, dear one. If she is one of God’s elect, one of those who “sleep in Jesus” (verse 14), she is coming back here. Just stick around, and be prepared.

Someone says “Oh, I want to go to heaven and get my rewards . In Rev 22:12 Jesus said “Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be”. Is there a heaven? Of course there’s a heaven! Will we go there? Of course we will go to heaven! But what we are talking about today is the return of Jesus to this earth, and what happens at that time. I Thessalonians 4 says nothing about us being “caught away” to heaven. What it does say is that we who are alive and remain until His coming shall be “caught up”. And it does not say anything about us coming back down after we are caught up. Once I get caught into that realm of glory where Jesus is, don’t ever talk to me about descending back down into this life of mortality, sickness, aging and death.

“CAUGHT UP”

The song writers have said that Jesus “is coming back to catch His waiting Bride away”. The Bible never said that. It never implies that the return of Jesus is to rescue His bride off this planet earth, take her to another geographical location where there are no battles or hide her from the face of the Antichrist! When the Bible speaks of being “caught up”, it is not speaking in terms of miles or light-years away. Turn with me to II Cor 12:1-4…

“It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) how that he was caught up to paradise.”

Where did he go? Physically, his body went nowhere. But he had an experience. God took him into that realm of life that is known as paradise, the third heaven. The first heaven corresponds to the first gate or entrance into the Tabernacle that brings us to the brazen altar (symbolic of Calvary). In Eph 1:3 we read that God has blessed us with “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him”. That’s a heavenly place, friends. But you don’t have to get into an airplane or spaceship to get there. In Him, holy and without blame. Calvary brings us into a heavenly place. This is the first heaven. The second heaven corresponds to the second realm of the Tabernacle, the sanctuary, wherein dwells the candlestick and the golden altar of incense. When the Bible says (Eph 2:6) that He “hash raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”, it is not speaking of a physical ascent into the sky, it is talking about a spiritual ascent. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit brings us into a supernatural heaven in Christ. This is the second experience, the second heaven God has brought us to.

THE THIRD HEAVEN

Paul had already ascended into the first two heavens with salvation and baptism in the Spirit. Now he is saying that God took him for a little while into that realm of life, that third heaven, which is our inheritance in Christ. Moffatt’s translation says “In the body or out of the body? I do not know. I simply know that in the body or out of the body (God knows which) this man was caught up into paradise and heard sacred secrets which no human lips can repeat”. In this experience, it was not important to him to know whether or not his body went into that realm or place. Fourteen years later he is still suffering the afflictions of a mortal body. But he has been into that third heaven. He knows it is there. And if he has to lay his body down in death, he knows that it eventually has to come into that realm of glory also, by the resurrection power of Christ. Caught up.

WHICH WAY IS UP?

Of course your answer would be given to that question by pointing over your head, into the sky above you. But the man in Australia, or China, or Palestine, would say otherwise. If we all went “up” physically in relation to where we are, the people of earth would all be flying off in different directions. If you point up today at noon, then twelve hours later at midnight, the part of the universe you pointed to at noon would now be down, not up. Actually, this physical universe is so created so there is no such a place as “up” in the universe. We can go farther out from the earth, and send space ships to the moon, and Mars. But the earth is constantly turning, and so is the entire universe. That’s what causes day and night, summer and winter.
We point at the clouds above us and say that is up. But to folks a few miles away, those clouds are not up, they are down over the horizon. Stratocumulus clouds range from ground level to 6,500 feet high, a little over a mile. Alto cumulus clouds go from 6,500 feet up to 23,000 feet high (over 4 miles high). The cirrus and cirrocumulus clouds, the highest order of clouds, range from 16,500 to 45,000 feet high, less than 9 miles high. That’s not in outer space, like the evangelists preach. While flying across the nation to California, I looked out of the plane window at the clouds below. We were high above all the clouds, but with a vast sea of clouds below. I thought to myself that if those were the clouds Jesus appeared in or with, then I would have to be “caught down” instead of being “caught up”. But that is contrary to Bible principle.

WHAT CLOUDS?

The Bible never says that Jesus returns “to” the clouds, or “on” clouds. It is very careful to tell us that He comes “in” the clouds, or “with” the clouds. Clouds of glory. Daniel 7:13 says “with” the clouds of heaven. Does Heaven have clouds? Oh yes. Revelation 1:7 also says that He comes “with” clouds. Matthew 24:30, 26:64, Mark 13:26, 14:62 and I Thessalonians 4:17 all say “in” the clouds. Hebrews 12:1 tells us that the heroes of faith are a cloud. Those Old Testament saints that have gone on to be with the Lord are a great cloud of witnesses. II Peter 2:17 and Jude 12 both tell us that false ministries are clouds without water. They appear to be a witness, but they have no life to give. Ecclesiastes 11:3 says that “if clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth”. A true ministry has life to give, and is willing to empty himself in order to be a blessing to a dry and thirsty people. Pour his life out for others — that’s what Jesus did. The Old Testament speaks about a cloud of incense over the Mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, and says that is where God will appear. “I will appear in the cloud upon the Mercy seat” (Lev 16:2).

“A CLOUD RECEIVED HIM”

Acts 1:11 is a scripture some like to quote, and they say “See, it says that as He went away, He shall come in like manner. And He left from that cloud and went up into heaven didn’t He?” No, He didn’t. Read it again. Acts 1:9-11…
“And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.”

In like manner. Some say that He will come out of the sky and stop on a cloud where we will meet Him. But notice that in Acts 1:9 He did not start from a cloud and ascend to outer space. He started from their visible presence, and disappeared from view in a cloud, ascending by that means into heaven. Reverse the order, and we see Him appearing from out of a cloud and descending back into our visible presence where we can see Him and be with Him. Glory to God! “As He went” “In like manner”.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENS?

“To meet the Lord in the air”. Not meet Him up in the sky, or in outer space. But in the air. Air. The stuff we breathe. It is all around us. It’s what there isn’t any of in outer space. When airplanes fly up above the clouds, they have to take their air with them in order to breathe. Wuest translation says we meet Him “in the lower atmosphere”. But it will be in a much higher spiritual order. Caught up…Hallelujah! I like that. “So shall we ever be with the Lord.” But aren’t we with Him now? In one sense, we are. But II Cor 5:6 makes it plain that “whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.” But when we are “caught up”, our bodies are also involved in this ascent, so that we can be forever in the presence of the Lord in a way we cannot know now, and still have our body. A glorious body then.

So the sum of what we have said is this: The old pre-tribulation escape rapture theory that originated with Margaret MacDonald in 1830, and now held by many Fundamentalists and Pentecostals, has been proven to be false and contrary to scripture. God has promised to deal with those preachers who lull the people to sleep with this doctrine. In Ezekiel 13:4-5 He says:
“O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord”.

God’s complaint against the prophets was that they did not prepare the people for what was coming in the Day of the Lord. And in verse 10 He says “Because, even because they have seduced my people saying Peace. And there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar.” Irving built the wall, while Darby, Larkin and Scofield daubed at it. But God says it shall fall. The storm is coming. The prophets have said “Peace”, and there was no peace. Back to I Thessalonians now…in chapter 5, verse 3: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

What really happens is that Jesus is coming back with a sound of a trumpet. Now wherever the Bible speaks of a trumpet, it is symbolic of a message going forth. Look it up. Many scriptures confirm this. Trumpets sounded for each feast day. (See chapter 3 in this book.) And there is a message or trumpet of restoration that brings Jesus back to earth (Acts 3:21). And when He comes back, those saints that come back with Him shall receive their bodies again that were laid down in death. Those bodies shall ascend or rise out of that state of death, into a glorious state of likeness to His body of glory. Then those who are still dwelling in these mortal bodies shall be “caught up” into that same place. This mortal shall put on immortality. Death shall be swallowed up in victory. Then the Sons of God, that manchild company, shall be “caught up unto God, and to His throne”. (Rev 12:5). The manifestation of the Sons of God (Romans 8) takes place. The Jubilee trumpet of Leviticus 25 begins to sound. The Melchisedec priesthood order passes through the veil into the Holy of Holies to be with their great High Priest, Jesus our Lord. Those whom He has made to be kings and priests begin to reign on this earth (Rev 5). The Armies of heaven who follow Jesus on white horses, destroy Babylon, burn her with fire, and bind Satan with unbreakable chain. All enemies begin to be put under the feet of the Body of Christ, until every enemy has been destroyed, even death! Whether or not you have faith to believe for these great things, does not bother me in the least. For the performance of those things God has spoken does not depend upon your faith, and is not hindered by your unbelief. He has spoken, and He shall perform it. The age of death, sin, sickness, crime, hate, war, pain, darkness and rebellion is rapidly coming to an end. The door is opening to a new age. The Kingdom is getting ready to come to earth! Hallelujah!

JESUS IS COMING SOON!

Bill Britton

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  1. RICHARD SCHURZ #

    Dear brother in Jesus,

    We have communicated before about our post-trib Bible beliefs. With the WAR in Libya causing oil prices to skyrocket the cost of transporting greatly inflated food prices caused by the greatest wheat and corn FAMINES in history will skyrocket even higher. Food riot REVOLUTIONS are rapidly spreading in the Mid East; throughout Europe and the rest of the world as the cost of a loaf of bread already costs a full days wages {as per Rev 6:6} in over 40 countries. AND NOW THE GIANT EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN JAPAN!! There have been 3 times more USA tornadoes in April 2011 then any other month in recorded history!! Jesus confirmed that famines, earthquakes and revolutions will occur just before the beginning of the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24:7-9 any many feel that the future False Prophet of 666 may already be here. Please call me anytime at 863-651-4426.

    Richard
    THE JESUS CAR AND A MINI NOAH’S ARK
    WE ARE ALL EAGERLY WAITING FOR OUR GLORIOUS ETERNAL RENDEZVOUS WITH JESUS!  
     
    I Peter 1:13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for ACTION, and set your hope *FULLY* on the grace to be given YOU when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED*. I Cor 1:7: “YOU do not lack any spiritual gift as YOU eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be *REVEALED*.” Now the pre-tribbers claim that this glorious *REVEALING or *REVELATION* of Jesus will be *CONCEALED* BEFORE the beginning of the Great Tribulation.  However, every other time the Word *REVEALED* {Greek-Apocalipsis} is used related to resurrection events it refers to the glorious REVEALING of Jesus on the *LAST DAY* of the Great Tribulation {See 2 Thess 1:7-10 & Luke 17:26-31}. And *CONCEALED* is the exact opposite of *REVEALED* and *APPEARED* according to every dictionary!  Titus 2:13:

    Titus 2:13: “*WE* wait for the *BLESSED HOPE*—the glorious *APPEARING* of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 9:28 “Jesus will *APPEAR* a 2nd time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him!”  Matthew 24:29,30: Jesus says, “IMMEDIATELY AFTER the distress of those days {The Great Tribulation} the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will *APPEAR in the sky and the nations will *SEE* the Son of Man COMING on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory!!” I John 2:28: “Dear children, continue in Him, so that when He *APPEARS* WE may be confident and unashamed before Him at His COMING!” {See 2 Thess 1:7-10; I Tim 6:14; Heb 9:28 & Col 3:4}  2 Tim 4:8: Paul said, There is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on THAT DAY—and not only to me, but to *ALL who have longed for His *APPEARING*!!”

    A meeting at an appointed place and time is called a RENDEZVOUS. We have a RENDEZVOUS with eternity at the glorious *APPEARING and *REVEALING of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ *IMMEDIATELY AFTER the Great Tribulation.

    God has always allowed His people to suffer tribulation and trials because they purify and perfect their faith and will gain countless eternal rewards when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED. There are over 40,000 saints martyred every year and the main culprit is no longer just Islam and the RC Church. The Main culprits now are the 21 Muslim countries and Korea, China, Sudan, Venezuela, Nigeria and the RC Church. Millions of saints were martyred after 1917 in Russia and after 1948 in China. Romans 8:35-37: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?… For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!” I Peter 1:6-8:  “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED.” 

    I Peter 2:20b,21: “But if you suffer for doing good and endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow IN HIS STEPS.” I Peter 4:12,13: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But REJOICE that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is *REVEALED!” Read other persecution verses: Matthew 5:10-12; Romans 5:3; Heb 13:35-40; 2 Tim 3:12; 2 Cor 1:7-10; I Thess 3:3,4; Phil 1:29; Phil 3:10; Rev 12:11; Rev 13:9,10 & Rev 14:13.

           The courageous and faithful Tribulation saints will *NOT* be hurt by God’s *WRATH* as shown in Rev 14:9-11; 15:1,7; 16:1,19; or in any of the 7 trumpet or 7 bowl plagues as explained in Rev 9:4,20,21 and Rev 16:2,4-6,9,10,21; or in any of the plagues of God’s 2 witnesses as per Rev 11:6,10; or in *ETERNAL HELL*: Rev 14:9-11: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of *HIS WRATH*.  He will be tormented with burning sulfur and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever.”

    The pre-tribs often confuse the wrath of God with the persecution from the anti-christ. They are not the same thing. The wrath of God is intended for the ungodly and will be poured upon them and them only. The Lord knows His target and He never misses. Jesus warned in Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

    In Rev 18:1-24 we read about the plagues that will destroy the headquarters of 666 during the Great Tribulation. This evil city on 7 hills {See Rev 17:9} is called “Babylon” which Peter implied was the nickname for Rome in 2 Peter 5:13. In Rev 18:4 a voice from Heaven will order God’s saints to stay away from Babylon {Rome-That great seaport-Rev 18:17-19} so that they will not participate in her sins or be hurt by God’s wrath which will completely destroy Rome with many horrific plagues. There are 260 verses from Revelation chapters 6 thru 20 and 128 of these verses or 49% tell of the wrath of God to unbelievers, 666, his False Prophet and Rome. However, not even one of these verses tells of any wrath of God toward His courageous Tribulation saints. Even pre-tribbers and mid-tribbers like yourself reluctantly agree that believers during the Great Tribulation will be exempt from the wrath of God.

    Matthew 24:3:: The disciples asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your coming and the END of the age?

    Matthew 24:7b,8 tells about events to occur JUST BEFORE the Great Tribulation mentioned in Matt 24:9-13.

    In Matthew 24:7b,8 Jesus says, “There will be FAMINES and EARTHQUAKES in various places. These are the BEGINNING of birth pains.” And in Luke 21:9 Jesus prophesied “When you hear of wars and REVOLUTIONS {Such as Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Iraq etc} do not be frightened. These things must happen first.” With the WAR in Libya causing oil prices to skyrocket the cost of transporting greatly inflated food prices caused by the greatest wheat and corn FAMINES in history will skyrocket even higher. Food riot REVOLUTIONS are rapidly spreading in the Mid East; throughout Europe and the rest of the world as the cost of a loaf of bread already costs a full days wages for over 2 billion people {as per Rev 6:6} in over 40 countries.

      Matthew 24:3,9-13:  The disciples asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your Coming and the end of the age?? Jesus answered….. {During the Great Tribulation} “Then *YOU* will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and *YOU will be hated by all nations because of Me.  At that time many will turn away from the Faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of *MOST* will grow cold,{THE GREAT APOSTASY} but he {The Called, Chosen & Faithful-Rev 17:14b} who stands firm to the End will be saved.”

    2 Thess 2:1,3: “Concerning the Coming of our Lord Jesus and *OUR being gathered to Him…That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first!!” {NIV – Rebellion} It is estimated that there are about 800 million people who claim to be Christians out of the 7 billion people on earth. There are probably about 134 million saved evangelicals which leaves about 666 million who will fall away and follow 666. There will probably be about 6 billion 666 million people who will follow 666 so they can buy and sell everything; which leaves about 200 million that may be saved from every nation tribe and language as per Rev 7:9-14. Matt 7:13,14: Many follow the road to destruction and only a few find the road to life. These numbers are, of coarse, just a speculation. Read Revelation 12:11 & 13:10!!

    The pre-tribbers claim that the “YOU” in Matthew 24:9 above are Jews only and that much of Matthew was only written for Jews like Matthew chapters 5-7. Which is of course completely ridiculous since Jesus said to His 11 Apostles in Matthew 28:19,20 “Go and make disciples of *ALL NATIONS*…teaching them to obey *EVERYTHING* I commanded you!”  {Read John 12:48 & John 14:23}  I John 2:3,4,6:  “We know that we have come to know Him {Jesus} if we obey His  commands.  The man who says, ”I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him… Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” According to Rev 12:17 the Tribulation Saints will also “Hold to the testimony of Jesus!”

      Now the pre-tribbers claim that the phrase “His elect” in Matt 24:31 & Mark 13:27 refers only to Jews which is, of course, ridiculous and is refuted in Romans 10:12: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all.” Galatians 3:28,29: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise!!” Read Ephesians 2:11-22!! See “GOD’S ELECT” in 2 Tim 2:10, Titus 1:1 and 1 Peter 1:1,2.

    Hebrews 11:39,40: These {OT saints mentioned in Heb 11:4-38} were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planed something better for US {NT Saints} so that only TOGETHER WITH US {NT saints} WOULD THEY {OT saints} BE MADE PERFECT.”{Receive new heavenly bodies-See I Cor 15:49-52}}

    WHO IS THE WOMAN OF REVELATION 12 AND WHO ARE HER OFFSPRING??

    Galatians 4:22,23,28,30,31: Abraham had 2 sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the Free Woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a “PROMISE”!….You brother, like Isaac {Sarah’s son}, are children of “PROMISE”….The slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the Free Woman’s son. Therefore, brothers, **WE** are not children of the slave woman {Hagar} but of the Free “WOMAN”{Sarah}!! According to Galatians 3:16 Jesus is also the offspring of Abraham and Sarah {See Rev 12:5!!}

    Just before the coming of 666 and the 1260-day or 42-month Great Tribulation in Revelation 13:1 we read in Rev 12:17; 13:1,5,7: Then the dragon {Satan} was enraged at the woman {Sarah} and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring–THOSE WHO OBEY GOD’S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS!!” And the dragon {Satan} stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw Beast {666} coming out of the Sea {Or Abyss or Hell as per Rev 11:7 & 17:8 & Luke 8:31}…..The Beast will exercise his authority for 42 months….. He will be given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he will be given authority over **EVERY** tribe, people, language and nation.

    And so according to Rev 12:6,14 Satan will attack some of God’s saints but they will be protected in God’s sanctuary in the wilderness for 1260 days. Then in Rev 12:17 Satan will attack the rest of God’s saints “WHO OBEY GOD’S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS” **just before** the coming of 666 and the beginning of the 1260-day or 42-month Great Tribulation.

    And so Revelation 12 also shows that the pre-trib rapture of God’s courageous saints at the beginning of the Great Tribulation is a ridiculous fairy tale. Since some of God’s saints will be protected in the wilds for 1260 days and Satan will make war with the rest of God’s saints WHO OBEY GOD’S COMMANDEMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS JUST **BEFORE** THE COMING OF 666!!

    Revelation 12:11: “They overcame him {Satan} by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

    God will miraculously take care of His Faithful and Courageous Tribulation Saints {Just as he took care of the Israelites for 40 years in the Wilderness} even though they won’t be able to buy or sell anything as per Rev 13:17a. {See Matthew 6:25-34 where storing up items are forbidden}  Can God’s NT saints go through the Great Tribulation without suffering the wrath of God, as did the OT saints in Egypt when God sent many horrific plagues on Egyptians because of Pharoah. Remember the 3 Jewish saints who were not delivered from going through the fiery furnace which was heated 7 times hotter than usual. Indeed they went right through the middle of that persecution and the Lord Jesus went through it with them. Yet another example of God sending His saints through tribulation rather than keeping them from it, is Daniel being thrown into the den of hungry lions. He went right through the middle of that persecution, but God sent an angel to close the mouths of the lions. That great saint brought much glory to God in that tribulation.

    This will come as a tremendous shock for those who teach the Prosperity Gospel and who are mainly seeking earthly treasures rather than eternal Heavenly Rewards. They teach: If you accept Jesus as your Savior you have a free pass to Heaven and God forbid that you should suffer any persecution or go through the Great Tribulation; which fits in with the pre-trib doctrines which are designed to increase church membership at the expense of the Truth. When is the last time you heard a sermon on the virtues and courage of the many thousands of present-day martyrs?? And this is probably why there will be a great FALLING AWAY {THE GREAT APOSTASY} at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

    There are some pre-tribbers who wrongly teach that ALL of God’s Tribulation saints will be martyred during the Great Tribulation. This belief is refuted in Rev 13:9,10 & Mark 13:20: Revelation 13:9,10: “He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Mark 13:20: Jesus says, “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them.” How much the Great Tribulation will be shortened will be shown later.

    Rev 6:9-11: When He {Jesus} opened the 5th seal, I saw the souls of those who had been slain {Just like Jesus} because of the testimony they had maintained.  They called out in a loud voice, “How long until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”  The each of them was given a *WHITE ROBE*, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. Rev 7:9,13,14,15a,17a:  “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from *EVERY* NATION, TRIBE, PEOPLE  AND LANGUAGE, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb {Jesus}.  They were wearing *WHITE ROBES*…Then one of the {24} elders {Rev 4:4} asked me, “These in *WHITE ROBES*—who are they and where did they come from?”… And he said, “These are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation; {Martyrs just like Jesus} they have washed their robes and made them WHITE in the *BLOOD OF THE LAMB* {Jesus}. They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night… The Lamb {Jesus} at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd.” {See Rev 12:11 & Rev 13:8-10}  

    This passage in Rev 7:9 above shows that the Great Tribulation will be mainly for Christians in *EVERY Gentile nation and not just Jacob’s Jewish trouble which absolutely contradicts the main thesis of the pre-trib fairy tale.   Revelation 14:13: Then I heard a voice from heaven say {During the Great Trib}, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” Rev 12:11: “They {THE TRIBULATION MARTYRS} overcame him {Satan} by the *BLOOD OF THE LAMB* and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

    I Cor 15:20-24: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the FIRSTFRUITS of those who have fallen asleep…For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the FIRSTFRUITS {On the Day of Firstfruits}; then when He comes, **THOSE WHO BELONG TO HIM**. {*THEN*} the {*END*} will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.” 2 Peter 7,10,13: “The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men… But the Day of the Lord {See I Cor 1:7,8} will come like a thief.{To unbelievers-I Thess 5:4,5} The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up… But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, the Home of righteousness.”

    Rev 21 1:1-3: Then I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. {THEN} I saw the NEW JERUSALEM, coming down out of heaven from God…,And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them!!” You will note that the New Jerusalem will come only *AFTER the present heaven and earth have passed away on the DAY OF THE LORD! Read Hebrews 11:10, 14-16 & John 14:1-3. The pre-tribbers wrongly believe that THE DAY OF THE LORD is the entire Great Tribulation period. However, Acts 2:20 states “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood {See Matt 24:29} **BEFORE** the coming of the great and glorious DAY OF THE LORD.” {See 2 Peter 3:10 above!!}

    Jesus says in Rev 2:17; 3:4, 5, 21: “To him who overcomes…I will give a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it…..He will walk with Me for he is worthy….. I will acknowledge his name before My Father and His angels…. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem…..I will write on him my New Name… and I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” According to Rev 22:3 these 2 thrones will be the only thrones in the Heavenly New Jerusalem!. Rev 19:7,8,14: We will ride Heavenly White horses in Heaven Dan 12:3: “Those who impart wisdom will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousneess like the stars for ever and ever.”

    Unfortunately most of the pre-tribbers actually believe that the tribulation saints will not be saved by the blood of Christ {See Rev 12:11 & Rev 7:14b!!} like the present church saints; and will not be in the LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE.  However, in Revelation 13:8 we read: “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the Beast {666}….*ALL* whose names have not been written in the *LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE*!”

          2 Thess 1:1; 2:1,3,8”  “To the *CHURCH* of the Thessalonians…Concerning the *COMING* of our Lord Jesus Christ and *OUR* being gathered to Him…Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way for *THAT DAY* will not come *UNTIL* the man of lawlessness is revealed!!… Then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus Christ will destroy with the splendor of His *COMING*!” So anyone who claims that the church saints will be gathered *BEFORE* the coming of the lawless one {666} is absolutely contradicting God’s inspired words!!   This, of course, totally destroys the central pre-trib doctrine of the *IMMINENT* coming of Jesus! {That Jesus could come RIGHT NOW} Since the *COMING of Jesus in 2 Thess 2:8 is POST-TRIB then the *COMING of Jesus when *WE are gathered to Him in 2 Thess 2:3 must also be POST-TRIB since it is in the same context and obviously refers to the same day.

          Mark 13:11: “When you are brought to trial {DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION} do not worry about what to say, for it is not you speaking, but the *HOLY SPIRIT*.” This of course contradicts the ridiculous pre-trib idea that the Holy Spirit will be removed from the saints during the Great Tribulation. Mark 13 is a Tribulation chapter. The only weapon we may use is the sword of the Spirit {Eph 6:17} which is the Word of God.

           Matthew 24:29-31: Jesus says, “Immediately after the distress of those {1260} days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky.” {Luke 21:28 adds “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”} Then the nations will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud {7TH & LAST} *TRUMPET* CALL and they will gather *His elect* from the 4 winds {Mark 13:27b adds:} “from the ends of the earth {Saints on earth} to  the ends of the Heavens {Saints in Heaven}!!” JESUS WILL COME AGAIN WHEN THE *7TH* ANGEL SOUNDS THE LOUD *7th* AND *LAST* TRUMPET CALL OF GOD.  Rev 11:15a, 18: “The *7TH* angel sounded his trumpet… and the time has come for judging the dead and for rewarding your servants the prophets and saints.” 

    Rev 10:7: “But in the days when the *7th* angel is about to sound his trumpet the *MYSTERY* of God will be accomplished!  I Cor 15:51:  “Listen, I tell you a *MYSTERY*!  We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye, at the *LAST* {Or *7TH*} trumpet.”   There are only 7 trumpets in God’s Word during the Great Tribulation and the 7th TRUMP is of course the *LAST TRUMP when the *MYSTERY* of God will be accomplished, and is also the TRUMPET CALL OF GOD in I Thess 4:16.

    John 6:40” Jesus says, “For my Father’s will is that EVERYONE who looks to the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the *LAST DAY*!”  Pre-tribbers believe that the *LAST DAY* mentioned 6 times in John 6:39,40,44,54;11:24,12:48 refers to a CONCEALED RESURRECTION 7 years *BEFORE THE LAST DAY*.  However, John 12:48 shows that the lost will also be condemned on that same *LAST DAY*! 

    *WHEN WILL THE LOST BE JUDGED AND SENT TO HELL*? John 12:48: Jesus says, “There is a Judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the *LAST DAY*!!”  2 Thess 1:1,6-10:  ‘To the *CHURCH* of the Thessalonians…God is just; He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.  This will happen *WHEN* the Lord Jesus is *REVEALED* {See I Peter 1:13} from heaven in blazing fire….  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting *DESTRUCTION* and shut out from the presence of the Lord *ON THE DAY HE COMES* to be glorified in His holy people!!” {THE LAST DAY-See Rev 20:11-15}

    Matt 25:31-33,41:  Jesus says, “*WHEN* the Son of Man comes in His glory,{On the Last Day} and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another……He will put His sheep on His right and the goats on the left…. Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire!”   John 5:28,29:  Jesus says, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming {The Last Day} when *ALL* {Both OT & NT Saints} who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” 

    Daniel 12:1b,2,7b:  “There will be a time of distress {The Great Tribulation} such as not happened from the beginning of nations until then.  But at that time {The Last Day} your people–*EVERYONE* whose name is found written in the Book {Both OT & NT Saints}—will be delivered.  Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt…It will be for a time. times and half a time {1260 days-Rev 12:6,14, or 42  {30-day} months-Rev 13:5-{Not 7 years} *ALL* these things will be *COMPLETED.   The pre-tribbers wrongly believe that the OT saints will receive their eternal perfect heavenly bodies 7 years AFTER the Church saints. However, in Hebrews 11:39,40 we read “These {OT super saints mentioned in Heb 11:4-38} were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that ONLY TOGETHER WITH US {NT Saints} would they {OT Saints} be made perfect!”

      By comparing Rev 12:7b and Rev 12:14b we find that 1260 Days and Time {360 Days} Times {720 Days} and ½ a Time {180 Days} are the exact same period of time.  Likewise, when we compare Rev 13:5b with Daniel 7:25b we learn that 42 {30-day Bible} MONTHS and Time {12 Months}, Times {24 Months} and ½ a Time {6 Months} are also the exact same period of time. And therefore 42 {30-Day Bible Months} and Time, Times and ½ a Time are the exact same period of time since 42 X 30 days equal exactly 1260 days.  12 Months = 360 Days = {1 Time}   24 Months = 720 Days = {2 Times}   6 Months = 180 Days = {Half a Time} and 42 Months = 1260 Days = 3 ½ Times. Whereas, 42 times 29 ½ -day Babylonian moon months only adds up to 1239 days!

         NOTE: A BIBLE MONTH IS ALWAYS 30 DAYS!! The only other text where the Bible specifies the number of days in a month besides Rev 13:5b is Genesis 7:11 & Genesis 8:3,4: Where the 17th day of the 2nd Bible Month {Gen 7:11} to the 17th day of the 7th Bible Month {Gen 8:4} is EXACTLY 150 days which would be exactly five 30-day months {Gen 8:3 & Gen 7:34}. All Bible Years are 12 consecutive 30-day months followed by 5 or 6 days.  Pagan Babylonian Moon Months sinfully adopted by Israel during the Babylonian captivity have alternating 29 and 30-day months since there is a New Moon every 29½ days. If God was using Babylonian Moon Months in the above passage he would have said that 5 Bible Months were 147 or 148 days and not EXACTLY 150 days!!

          If you check your concordances you will find that there are 20 OT passages that are wrongly translated NEW MOON that should be translated NEW MONTH. In each case the INSPIRED Hebrew word for MONTH {CHODESH} is used, whereas the Hebrew word for MOON {YARAYACH} is not present. {See I Sam 20:5,18,24; II Kings 4:23; I Chron 23:31; II Chron 2:4; 8:12; 31:3; Ezra 3:5; Neh 10:33; Ps 81:3; Isa 1:13,14; 66:23 Ezek 45:17; 46:1,3,6; Hosea 2:11 & Amos 8:5} In the NT Col 2:16 should be translated NEW MONTH instead of NEW MOON since the INSPIRED Greek word for MONTH {MEN} is used, whereas the Greek word for MOON {SELENE} cannot be found. In Col 2:16 the Greek word used is NEOMENIA which should be translated NEW MONTH: For “NEOS” is the Greek word for NEW and “MEN” is the Greek word for MONTH.

    Numbers 28:16: “On the 14th day of the 1st month the Lord’s Passover is to be held.” Exodus 12:6,7,12,13: “Take care of them {The Passover Lambs} until the 14th day of the month when all the people of Israel must slaughter them {See Lev 23:5} at Twilight {Just after sundown to nightfall}. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the doorframes of their houses. On that same night I will strike down the firstborn of the Egyptians… but when I see the blood I will PASS OVER you.” Deut 16:1: “Observe the month of ABIB and celebrate the PASS OVER of the Lord your God, because in the month of ABIB He brought you out of Egypt by night.” Lev 23:6: “On the 15th day of that month the Lord’s 7-day Feast of Unleavened Bread begins.”

    Luke 22:7,8: Then came the day on which the Passover Lamb “Had” to be sacrificed. Jesus said, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”  Christ became our Passover Lamb on Passover Day! 1 Cor 5:7: “For Christ our PASSOVER LAMB has been sacrificed.” Whereas the Jews {who were following the evil Babylonian moon calendar} held their Passover on the 15th of Nisan {Which always occurs on the night of a full moon} and observed the Passover on the WRONG DAY as per John 18:28: “Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman Governor {Pilate}. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; for they wanted to be able to eat the PASSOVER!!”  Which would have been the day “AFTER” Jesus correctly held the Passover on the 14th of ABIB which God had commanded. 

    So we can assume that the month of ABIB is different from the Babylonian moon month of Nisan and therefore has nothing to do with the moon. When does the first month of the Bible Year called ABIB begin?? Many Bible scholars believe that it may begin of the first day of SPRING or sundown March 20th to sundown March 21st. ABIB is the Hebrew word for SPRING. And so the 14th Day of ABIB can also be translated the 14th day of SPRING!!
     
    In May of AD 325 the Council of Nicea decided that starting in April, AD 326 the Resurrection Day of Jesus should be determined by the Babylonian Moon Calendar instead of April 5th, or the 16th day of first Bible month of Abib {See Ex 23:15 & Deut 16:1} The 1st Day of the 1st Bible month of Abib is always sundown Mar 20 to sundown Mar 21. The Nicean Council decided that our Lord’s Resurrection Day should be called EASTER beginning in April, AD 326. DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF EASTER: Easter from the old English Eastre, the name of Babylonian Mother Nature goddess: ISHTAR!! The Phoenician name for ISHTAR or EASTER is Ashtoreth or Asherah who was worshipped as a goddess and the female counterpart of the sun god Baal. She was regarded both as the goddess of war and destruction as well as the deity of love and fertility. Her licentious worship was condemned by God {See Deut 7:5;16:21,22; Judges 2:12,13} The KJV uses the word EASTER instead of Passover in Acts 12:4?

    WHAT ARE THE 3 PASSAGES IN GOD’S WORD WHICH SHOW THAT THE GREAT TRIBULATION AND THE REIGN OF 666 WILL LAST EXACTLY 1260 DAYS OR 42 {30-DAY} MONTHS??

    **{#1}** Daniel 12:1b,2,7b:  “There will be a time of distress {The Great Tribulation} such as not happened from the beginning of nations until then.  But at that time {The Last Day} your people–*EVERYONE* whose name is found written in the book {Both OT & NT Saints}—will be delivered.  Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt…It will be for a time. times and half a time {Which is also 1260 days as per Rev 12:6,14, or 42  {30-day} months as per Rev 13:5} *ALL* these things will be *COMPLETED.  

    **{#2}** Rev 13:5,7: The beast will be given a mouth to utter blasphemies and to exercise his authority for 42 {30-day} months {Not 7 years}…He will be given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. COMPARE WITH

    **{#3}**Dan 7:25: “He will speak against the Most High and oppress His saints.  The saints will be handed over to him for time {12 months}, times {24 months} and 1/2 a time {6 months}. {Not 7 years}

    Events in Revelation that will occur during the 1260-day Tribulation are discussed in Rev 6:1 to 18:24, Events that will occur on the Last Day are recorded in Rev 6:12-17; Rev 11:15-19; Rev 14:14-20; Rev 16:17-21; Rev 19:1-21 & Rev 20:9b-15. The Olivet discourse by Jesus about the End-Times are recorded in Matt 24 & 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21.  Events that will occur during the 1260-day Tribulation are recorded in Matt 24:9-28; Mark 13:5-23 and Luke 21:8-24. Events which will occur on the Last Day of the Tribulation including the 2nd Coming of Jesus are recorded in Matt 24:29-31; Matt 25:31-46; Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:25-28 and 2 Peter 3:10-13. The glorious appearing of Jesus and the resurrection of His saints on the Last day of the Tribulation are mentioned in God’s Word about 50 other times such as Titus 2:13: “WE wait for the blessed hope—the glorious APPEARING of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,”

    For example: If the coming of 666 and the 1260-day Great Tribulation starts on April 5th, 2011 then the 2nd coming of Jesus would occur exactly 1260 days later on September 16th, 2014. When the 1260-day Great Tribulation begins God’s saints will then know the exact day of the 2nd coming on the Last Day as per: Rev 3:3: Jesus says, “But {*IF*} you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” I Thess 5:4: Paul said “But YOU BROTHERS {*CHURCH SAINTS*}, are not in darkness so that {*THIS DAY*} should surprise you like a thief.”

         Now there are some who suggest that the Anti-Christ will exercise his authority for 7 years {Not 42 Months} and that the Great Tribulation will last 7 years {Not 1260 Days or 3 ½ Times}.  They have only **ONE** Bible verse {Daniel 9:27—which they grossly misinterpret} to support this idea which absolutely contradicts God’s Divine Time Periods as found in Rev 13:5b, Dan 7:25b & Dan 12:7b.

          Before quoting Daniel 9:24-27 several things should be noted:
    NOTE: About 280 years before the Dan 9:24-27 Prophecy God made this amazing prophecy in Isaiah 44:28: The Lord… says of *CYRUS*, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of JERUSALEM LET IT BE REBUILT!” This verse absolutely contradicts the Artaxerxes theory! 

      NOTE: According to Leviticus 25:8 a Sabbath ‘week’ or 7 is *7 YEARS and 7 times 7 YEARS or ‘weeks’ is a Jubilee or 49 years.Hebrews 9:15,26b-28:

    NOTE: Hebrews 9:15,26b-28: Christ is the mediator of a NEW COVENANT so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant…But now He has APPEARED once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the SACRIFICE of Himself… so Christ was SACRIFICED ONCE to take away the sins of many people, and He will *APPEAR* a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him when Jesus will bring in Everlasting Righteousness on the Last Day of the Last 7.

    Dan 9:24-27: “70 7’s {490 years} are decreed for your people to Anoint the Most Holy, TO ATONE FOR WICKEDNESS and to bring in everlasting righteousness… “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree {By Cyrus-Isa 44:28 above} to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One comes {Oct 23, AD 29?} there will be 7 plus 62 7′s {Which is 69 7′s or 483 years}. “After the 7 plus 62 7′s {actually 1260 days after on April 3-5 AD 33} the Anointed One will be cut off but not for Himself….. He {The Anointed One} will confirm a COVENANT with many for one ‘seven’.  In the middle of the ‘seven’ {After 1260 days} He {The Anointed One; not 666} will put an END to SACRIFICES{For sin}{And then after a long pause} the abomination of Desolation {666} will come {for the 1260 day Great Tribulation} until the decreed end is poured out on him.” on the Last day of the last 7 {See Rev 19:20} And so the first half of the last 7 was already completed when Jesus put and END to all sacrifices for sin 1260 days after His Anointing which occurred after 69 7′s.

    When the Anointed One came 69 7′s or 483 years were 100% completed [See Dan 9:25 above} leaving just one 7 in the future; which will be totally used by those who wrongly believe in a future 7-year Tribulation; which means that the Atonement for sin by Jesus about 3 ½ years after His Anointing can not be included in the 70 7′s Prophecy. However, God’s Word clearly states that 70 7′s are decreed …TO ATONE FOR WICKEDNESS which occurred about 3 ½ years after the end of the 69 7′s and therefore the first half of the last 7 has already been completed since there are only 3 ½ times left in the 70 7′s. And so the Great Tribulation and the rule of 666 will last exactly 1260 days or 42 months or 3 ½ times which agrees which God’s Divine time periods found in Dan 12:1,2,7b; Dan 7:25 & Rev 13:5.

    Now many saints believe the reign of 666 and the Great Tribulation are extremely close. I Peter 1:13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for ACTION, and set your hope *FULLY* on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED*!” 

    Mark 13:20: Jesus says, “If the Lord had not cut short those {Tribulation} days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them.”The first 69 7′s were 365-day years {7 years = 2557 days} but the Last 7 has been shortened to 360-day years and two 1260-day periods or 2520 days. And so God has shortened the last 7 of the 70 7′s from 2557 days to two 1260-day periods or 2520 days. And God has shortened the Great Tribulation from 3 ½ years or 1278 days to 3 ½ times or 1260 days.

         NOTE: The prophecies and time periods found in Daniel 8:1-27 {1150 days or 2300 morning and evening sacrifices} and Daniel 10:11 to 11:45 and Daniel 12:11,12 {1290 & 1335 Days} were all completely fulfilled during the evil reign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV from 172 BC to 164 BC {See Macabees 1:10,44-64; 4:52,53} and have absolutely nothing to do with the time periods and prophecies of the 1260-Day Great Tribulation or reign of 666; and are not mentioned or even implied in Revelation or anywhere in the New Testament. Daniel 12:1-10 was an End-Time Prophecy parenthesis { } which did not include Daniel 11:45 nor Daniel 12:11,12. Almost all of the prophecies in the OT are a parenthesis { } in a text which had nothing to do with the prophecy. The only End-Time verses in Daniel are Daniel 2:31-45; Daniel 7:7-28; Daniel 9:27b and Daniel 12:1-10.

     IS THE 1,000 YEAR FIRST RESURRECTION IN REVELATION 20:4-6 FOR THE 24 ELDERS ON THRONES AND MARTYRS ONLY??
    Jesus promised to 12 Apostles who followed Him {Including Paul?} that they would be given 12 THRONES and the authority to JUDGE in Matthew 19:28 & Luke 22:30. In Revelation 4:4 Before the beginning of the Great Tribulation John saw exactly 24 thrones surrounding God’s Throne in Heaven. The other 12 thrones were most likely given to 12 prominent OT Elders such as Abraham, Joseph and Isaiah. One of these 24 Elders speaks in Rev 7:13-17 and after the 7TH angel sounds the 7TH and Last Trumpet in Rev 11:15 ONLY the 24 Elders state in Rev 11:16-18: “The time has come for JUDGING the dead and for rewarding your saints.”

      It is completely obvious that the 1,000 year reign mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6 is for 24 ELDERS on Thrones and MARTYRS ONLY according to God’s Word in Revelation 20:4,5b,6a: “I saw Thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to JUDGE and I saw the SOULS of those who had been beheaded {Or martyred} because of their testimony for Jesus {NT Martyrs} and because of the Word of God {OT Martyrs}. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands {Tribulation Martyrs}. THEY {THE 24 ELDERS & MARTYRS} came to life and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years… This is the FIRST RESURRECTION… Blessed and holy are those who have part in the FIRST RESURRECTION.

    Rev 20:5a: “The rest of the dead {Those saints who are not martyrs or the 24 Elders on Thrones} did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ENDED.” Which, of course, would be the SECOND RESURRECTION at the 2nd Coming of Jesus. There are only TWO RESURRECTIONS for all saints mentioned in Rev 20:4-6: The FIRST RESURRECTION is for Martyrs and the 24 Elders only and INCLUDES the Tribulation Martyrs. And therefore the SECOND RESURRECTION must come on the Last Day of the Great Tribulation and must include all saints {Both OT & NT} who are not martyrs or the 24 Elders on thrones.

    The Heavenly rewards for the faithful and courageous *MARTYRS* is one of the most important central themes in the book of Revelation. For they will reign with Jesus in Heaven during the 1,000 years before His 2nd Coming; and according to Revelation 7:14-17: They are before the Throne of God and God will spread His tent over them. They will receive White Robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. Never again will they hunger or thirst and God Himself will wipe every tear from their eyes. Jesus will be their Shepherd and will lead them to springs of Living Water.

    FOR EXAMPLE: Let us suppose that the SECOND RESURRECTION takes place on September 16th, 2014; then the continuous 1,000 year FIRST RESURRECTION for MARTYRS AND 24 ELDERS ONLY would take place from September 16th, AD 1014 to September 16th, 2014. The 24 Elders and all of the OT & NT saints martyred before September 16th, 1014 were awakened to reign with Jesus in Heaven and every Martyr martyred after September 16th, 1014 were and will be immediately awakened to reign with Jesus in the continuous 1,000 year FIRST RESURRECTION to be completed on September 16th, 2014 at the SECOND RESURRECTION when “The rest of the dead come to life when the thousand years are ENDED.” {Rev 20:5a} Rev 20:4b “I saw the *SOULS of those who had been martyred because of their testimony for Jesus… they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years. The Martyrs SOULS will only get their New Heavenly bodies when the 1,000 years are ENDED at the 2nd Coming of Jesus.

    This seems to contradict John 6:40: Jesus says, “EVERYONE who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up at the LAST DAY.” However, the LAST DAY RESURRECTION could last 1,000 years for in 2 Pet 3:8 we read: “With the Lord a DAY is like 1,000 years, and 1,000 years are like a DAY!!

    WHEN WAS SATAN STOPPED FROM DECEIVING THE NATIONS SO THAT THE GOSPEL COULD BE PREACHED TO EVERY NATION IN THE WORLD AS PER MATTHEW 24:14 AND REVELATION..7:9?? 

           Let us assume that the Great Tribulation will last 1260 days from April 5th, 2011 to Sept 16th, 2014.  As you know Satan was successful in stopping the Gospel from spreading past 5% of the earth; or southern Europe and Northern Africa for almost 1000 years. Suddenly the Gospel was being preached throughout the pagan kingdoms of Russia, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden around AD 1011.  And in the past 1000 years the Gospel has spread to all of Africa and Asia, North and South America, and all the remote islands of the earth.  As you know the gospel must be preached to every nation of the earth before the end can come as per Matthew 24:14 and Revelation 7:9. 

    And so about 95% of the world’s nations have heard the gospel for the first time during the past 1,000 years.        Rev 20:2,3: “He {The angel} seized the dragon, who is the devil or Satan and bound him for 1,000 years {FOR EXAMPLE: April 5th, AD 1011 to April 5th, 2011}.  He threw him into the Abyss to keep him from deceiving the nations until the 1,000 years were ended {April 5th, 2011}.  After that he must be set free for a short time.” Or 1260 days from April 5th, 2011 to Sept 16th, 2014 during the Great Tribulation when Satan will again deceive ALL the nations until the Last Day. 

       Rev 3:1,3: Jesus says, “To the angel of the {*CHURCH*} in Sardis write…But *IF you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”  1 Thess 1:1, 5:4: “To the {*CHURCH*} of the Thessalonians…But you brothers {*CHURCH SAINTS*}, are not in darkness so that *THIS DAY*{Just Mentioned In I Thess 4:16,17} should surprise you like a thief.  You are all sons of the light and sons of the DAY.”  And so once the 1260-day Tribulation begins all of God’s {*CHURCH*} saints will know the exact day that the Tribulation will end at the Second Coming of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the *LAST DAY*.  And so the resurrection day of I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 will not be a surprise to the saints resurrected in I Thess 4:16,17 just as the resurrection day at the end of the 1260-day Great Tribulation will not be a surprise to *ALL* of God’s saints which proves that the resurrection day mentioned in I Thess 4:16,17 will also come  on the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation!!!

          Also in the context of I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 is this interesting statement in I Thess 5:2,3:  “You know very well that the day of the Lord {Just mentioned in I Thess 4:16} will come like a thief in the night. {to unbelievers}  While people are saying ‘peace and safety,’ DESTRUCTION WILL COME ON THEM SUDDENLY… AND THEY WILL NOT ESCAPE!!” {See 2 Thess 1:6-10 and Matthew 25 :31-33,41-46}  After 6 of the last 7 bowl plagues of the Great Tribulation Jesus will make this statement in Rev 16:15: “Behold, I come like a thief!”{See 2 Pet 3:7,10 & Rev 3:3!!} Christ Himself says that He is coming like a thief at the end of the tribulation just before the battle of Armageddon!! This destruction of the lost in hell will occur on the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation as shown above in Matt 25:31-33:41-46: John 5:28,29; 12:48; Daniel 12:1,2,7b & 2 Thess 1:6-10, which firmly places the resurrection mentioned in I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 on the Last day of the Great Tribulation and not a *CONCEALED* pre-trib rapture 1260 days or 7 years BEFORE the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation!!  

    WHO WILL BE GOD’S TWO WITNESSES {REV 11:3} OR MEN {REV 11:6} OR PROPHETS {REV 11:10}??

    Zechariah 4:11,14: “Then I asked the angel, ‘What are these *TWO* OLIVE TREES {See Rev 11:4 below} on the right and left of the lamp stand?’… the angel said, ‘These are the TWO who are anointed to serve the Lord of the earth!’”  Rev 11:3-6: {God said to John} “I will give power to My *TWO* witnesses and they will prophesy for 1260 days clothed in sackcloth! These are the *TWO OLIVE TREES {See Zech 4:11,14 above} and the 2 lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire will come from their mouths to destroy their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die {See 2 Kings 1:9-12; Num 16:31-35}. These *MEN* will have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying {See 1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25; James 5:17}; and they will have power to turn the waters into blood {See Exodus 7:15-23} and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.”  

    Moses and Elijah witnessed to 3 Apostles on the mount of Transfiguration when Moses & Elijah spoke to Jesus about his departure or Ascension, which Jesus was to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem 40 days after His resurrection. Luke 9:30,31: “TWO MEN Moses and Elijah, appeared in GLORIOUS SPLENDOR talking with Jesus.  They spoke about His Departure {Or Ascension} which He was about to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem.” Moses and Elijah were most assuredly the *TWO MEN* dressed in white who witnessed at the Departure or Ascension of Jesus in Acts 1:10,11: “They looked up into the sky as He {Jesus} was going when suddenly *TWO MEN* dressed in WHITE stood beside them. “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!”  

         And then in Luke 24:2b-6b we read: They did not find the body of Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly *TWO MEN*… stood beside them… And the *MEN* said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? HE IS NOT HERE; HE HAS RISEN!!”    Jesus says in John 8:17b: “The testimony of *TWO MEN IS VALID* and of course the testimony of Moses and Elijah is just about as valid as you can get.        And so the coming of God’s *TWO MEN* or witnesses to prophesy for 1260 days {See Rev 11:3-7} will be their FOURTH appearance as God’s 2 witnesses or MEN. And the reason that their names are not mentioned in Luke 24:3 and Acts 1:10 and Rev 11:3-12 is that the Father, Moses and Elijah want us to glorify *NO ONE ELSE BUT JESUS*!!

        Moses and Elijah will most likely witness miraculously to people in the uttermost parts of the earth in all 6,000 languages. Presently the Bible has been translated into about 2,000 languages from the inspired Greek and Hebrew manuscripts and faith comes from hearing or reading the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. The Bible still has not been translated into about 4,000 languages and Rev 5:9b and Rev 7:9,13,14 must be completely fulfilled.  Surely the courageous tribulation saints will help Moses and Elijah spread God’s Word. They will do a fantastic job since according to Rev 7:9,14 there will be a great multitude from EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE who will be “washed in the Blood of the Lamb”.

    Moses & Elijah will be dressed in SACKCLOTH which is appropriate since the Tribulation saints will be very poor, for they will not be able to buy or sell anything as per Rev 13:17. Moses and Elijah will certainly speak the Word of God with great power and love. They will not add or take words away from the Prophetic Words of God {See Rev 22:18,19}; and they will encourage God’s courageous saints to adhere to *ALL* of the NT commandments {See Rev 12:13b; 14:12b; Matt 28:20a; John 14:15,21,23; I John 2:2-5} with love {See Matt 5:39-48 & Rom 12:17-21} in the face of severe and hostile persecution.

    Moses and Elijah will begin their 1260-day testimony {Rev 11:3} 3 ½ days before the coming of 666 & the 1260-day Great Tribulation and 1263 ½ days before the Last Day. {*THE FIRST END-TIME EVENT*} Moses and Elijah will warn us of the coming of 666 & his False Prophet.     It seems very appropriate that God will send His TWO PROPHETS {See Rev 11:10b} to warn and prepare His saints for the coming of Satan, 666 and the Great Tribulation for in Amos 3:7 we read: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the PROPHETS!”  GOD’S PROPHETS are mentioned 8 times in Revelation: Revelation 10:7; 11:10; 11:18; 16:6; 18:20,24; 22:6 & 22:9. Whereas; preachers, pastors and evangelists are not even mentioned once in Revelation! God will allow 666 to martyr Moses and Elijah {See Rev 11:7,8} right where their Lord was crucified. {At the new *HOLY PLACE* where Jesus shed his blood for our sins} 3 ½ days later Moses and Elijah will rise to heaven just hours before the 7th angel sounds the 7th Trump at the 2nd coming of Jesus.{See Rev 11:11-18}

    Mark 13:14: Jesus says, “When you see 666 standing where he does not belong {At the New Holy Place}….then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” {See Rev 11:7,8 & Rev 16:15} John 2:19: Jesus said, “Destroy this TEMPLE and I will raise it again in 3 days.” This HOLY PLACE is where Jesus became the chief cornerstone {Eph 2:20,21} and we are living stones {I Pet 2:5 & 2 Cor 6:16} in the LAST TEMPLE made without hands! {Acts 17:24}     Certainly, the old Jerusalem and the old Temple site are NO LONGER HOLY PLACES.   Hebrews 13:12-14: “Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people HOLY THROUGH HIS BLOOD. Let us, then, go to Him outside the city, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the CITY {THE NEW JERUSALEM} that is to come.” {See Heb 11:10,13-16; Heb 12:22; Rev 3:12b; 21:2,10-27; 22:1-5; 2 Pet 3:13} Gal 4:25,26: “Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem {Called Sodom in Rev 11:8} because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is ABOVE is free, and she is our mother.” {The New Jerusalem}

    DOES A JEWISH TEMPLE WITH BIBLICAL SPECIFICATIONS HAVE TO BE REBUILT??

            Some End-Time Groups who wrongly interpret Daniel 9:27a, and who believe in a 7-year Tribulation, {Starting with a New Jewish Temple} are now spreading false rumors that religious Jews are now building a Temple or are planning to tear down the Muslim Dome of the Rock in order to rebuild a Jewish Temple to Biblical specifications and will then REINSTITUTE animal sacrifices??? However there are several big problems with this scenario: All 21 Arab Muslim nations including Pakistan which has many nuclear bombs would then immediately declare an all-out Holy War on Israel, and the Israeli government fully understands this. I know this for I was a missionary in Israel.  A Jewish Temple built to Biblical specifications would then take at least 7 years to build during this continuous war with the 21 Muslim nations. Most of these same End-Time Groups also teach that a pre-trib rapture could occur TODAY {Not at least 7 years from today} which of course makes the ridiculous *IMMINENT* pre-trib belief {That Jesus could come TODAY} a big joke.

    Now all those who believe in a 7-year Tribulation only because of the wrong interpretation of Daniel 9:27a also believe that immediately following a CONCEALED pre-trib rapture of the Church saints that the Anti-Christ will make a Covenant with Israel; allowing the Jews to make animal sacrifices in a Jewish Temple built to Biblical specifications. They believe that at the end of 3 1/2 years in the middle of the 7 years the antichrist will put an end to all animal sacrifices in this Jewish Temple. However, for over 1,000 years religious Jews have believed that when their Messiah comes He will bring with him the New Jewish Temple and the required Ark of the Covenant. And then the Messiah will re-establish the Levitical priesthood; who will then offer animal sacrifices according to OT Law.

    For according to OT Law {See Numbers 3:5-10} all Jewish Priests must prove that they are direct descendants of Levi and these Levitical genealogies were completely destroyed when the last Jewish Temple was destroyed in AD 70. Therefore, no Scriptural OT animal sacrifices could possibly occur before then; since no Jew can now prove that he is a Levite!! And so if you are waiting for this Jewish Temple to be built to Biblical specifications by Jews who will then offer animal sacrifices; you are going to have to wait until this bogus Jewish messiah comes.  Please do not hold your breath until this time!

           Did Herod the Great completely destroy the 2nd Temple including its foundations around 17 BC?? The following is a quote from “Antiquities of the Jews” by Josephus, Page 334, Para 1 & 3:  “And now Herod, in the 18th year of his reign undertook a very great work, that is, to build of himself the temple of God and make it LARGER in compass, and to raise it to a most significant altitude, as esteeming it to be the most glorious of all his actions and this would be sufficient for an everlasting memorial to him….so Herod TOOK AWAY THE OLD FOUNDATIONS AND LAID OTHERS, and erected the temple upon them. Herod’s 3rd Temple was 100 cubits {150 feet} long.” {The first two Jewish temples were both 60 cubits {90 feet} long as per 2 Chronicles 3:3 & Ezra 6:3.}  So then Herod’s Temple was the 3RD TEMPLE which according to John 2:20 took “46 years to build”. 

    There are some who believe that a {4th} Jewish Temple built to Biblical specifications will appear during the End-Times and is suggested in Revelation 11:1.  The TEMPLE IN HEAVEN is mentioned 12 times in Revelation where worshipers are present: Rev 3:12;7:15;11:19(2X);14:15,17;15:5,6,8(2x); & Rev 16:1,17. The only other time that a temple is mentioned is in Rev 11:1; where worshipers are present; so this could also be a reference to the TEMPLE IN HEAVEN. Let us compare Rev 11:1 with Rev 7:15 and Rev 8:3-5:  Revelation 11:1: I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the TEMPLE OF GOD and the ALTAR, and count the worshipers there.” Rev 7:15:”They {martyrs as per Rev 7:9-14} are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in HIS TEMPLE.” Rev 8:3-5: Another angel, who had a golden censor, came and stood at the ALTAR. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden ALTAR before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 

    Ephesians 2:19b-22:  “You are members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone {Of the 4th and LAST TEMPLE}.  In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a HOLY TEMPLE in the Lord.  And in Him you too are being built {Living Stones-1 Pet 2:5} together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.  2 Cor 6:16 “For *WE are the TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD!”{See Revelation 11:1 above!!} Acts 17:24: The God who made the world and everything in it …does not live in temples built by hands. The “outer court” of the TEMPLE OF GOD in Rev 11:2 would be the saints on earth who are also the TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD.

          Revelation 1:7:  “Look, He is coming with the *CLOUDS*, and *EVERY EYE* will see Him, even those who pierced Him!” This 2nd Coming of Jesus with the *CLOUDS* is also mentioned in Matt 24:30 and I Thess 4:17 and in Matthew 26:64: Jesus replied, “But I say to all of you:  In the future you {Unsaved Jews at His trial} will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty one and coming on the *CLOUDS* of heaven!” 
      
    There will be 2 Comings of Jesus on the same Last Day.  The First Coming will be *FOR* His saints and His second Coming will be *WITH* His saints on Heavenly White Horses right after they celebrate the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. {Read Rev 19:7-9 & Rev 17:11,14} They will conqer 666 and his 10 armies {See Rev 17:19-21}. This then explains the resurrection of God’s saints in Luke 17:30,35: Jesus says, “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is *REVEALED….two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” All of the lost who are left behind when Jesus is *REVEALED; will later be judged and then sent to hell on that same Last Day. {See 2 Thess 6-10; John 5:28,29; 12:48; Daniel 12:1,2,7b & Matt 25:31-33;41-46} Pre-tribbers wrongly teach that Luke 17:30,35 above and Matt 24:40-41 prove a pre-trib rapture.

           Jesus {See Rev 1:10,18} said to John in Rev 1:19: “Write what you have seen, what is now {Rev chapters 2 & 3} and *WHAT WILL TAKE PLACE LATER*.” {Rev chapters 6-22}  Events that will occur on the Last Day are recorded in Rev 6:12-17; Rev 11:15-19; Rev 14:14-20; Rev 16:17-21; Rev 19:1-21 & Rev 20:9b-15.  Question: How many words in Revelation, chapters 6-22 are devoted to a rapture before the beginning of the Great Tribulation??  Answer: *ZERO*!! In Rev 4:1 Jesus invited John to come up to Heaven in AD 96 so that he could write what he saw.  Rev 4:1b: Jesus said to John in AD 96, “Come up here, and I will show you *WHAT MUST TAKE PLACE.”  Unfortunately, there are some pre-tribbers who teach that Rev 4:1 actually proves a *CONCEALED* rapture of the church saints before the beginning of the Great Tribulation; which shows a *NEW LOW in honest Bible exegesis. How many words in the Olivet discourse are devoted to a rapture before the Great Tribulation?  Answer: *ZERO*!!The Olivet discourse by Jesus about the End-Times are recorded in Matt 24 & 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21.  Events which will occur on the Last Day of the Tribulation including the 2nd Coming are recorded in Matt 24:29-31; Matt 25:31-46; Mark 13:24-27 & Luke 21:25-28. 

    Rev 22:16,18,19: Jesus says, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give *YOU* {The Greek for YOU is plural} this testimony {ALL OF REVELATION} *FOR* the CHURCHES.” This contradicts the ridiculous pre-trib idea that Revelation, chapters 4-19, was not written *FOR* the CHURCHES! The word “CHURCH”is also not mentioned in 9 books of the NT: John, Mark, Luke, 2 Tim, 1 John, 2 John, 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude; and is not mentioned in the first 15 chapters of Romans and yet every word in all these NT books are “FOR THE CHURCHES”….. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book.  If anyone *ADDS anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city which are described in this book.”

    We see Church saints during the Great Tribulation in Revelation 7:9,14; Rev 12:11,17; Rev 13:8-11; Rev 17:6 and in many other places we read of God’s faithful and courageous Tribulation saints.

    Rev 7:9,14: “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count , from **EVERY** nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb…..The Elder said, “These are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation {martyrs}; they have washed their robes in the BLOOD OF THE LAMB!!”

    Just before the coming of 666 and the 1260-day Great Tribulation in Revelation 13:1 we read in Rev 12:17 Then the dragon {Satan} was enraged at the woman {Sarah} and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring–THOSE WHO OBEY GOD’S COMMANDMENTS AND HOLD TO THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS!!”

    Rev 12:11: “They overcame him {Satan} by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. “Revelation 13:8,10b: The inhabitants of the earth will worship the Beast {666}–all whose names have not written in the BOOK OF LIFE BELONGING TO THE LAMB… This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
    Rev 17:6: “I saw that the woman {Rome} was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.”
    During the Great Tribulation with 666 in control of every nation tribe and language it will no longer be safe for the saints to worship in churches.
    It is time for all pre-trib *ADDERS* to repent; and all CLOSET Post-Tribbers to come out of their closets and teach ALL of God’s Word as per 2 Tim 4:1-8 since the End-Times are very near. Paul was inspired to write in 2 Timothy 4:8: “There is in store for me the Crown of Righteousness which the Lord will award to me on *THAT DAY*—and not only to me, but to *ALL who have longed for *HIS APPEARING*.” THE ETERNAL RENDEZVOUS WITH JESUS!

     WHAT ARE THE 7 BIBLE CLUES WHICH REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF 666???

         Revelation 13:17b,18: “The mark of the beast {Or antichrist} is the *NAME* of the Beast or the number of *HIS NAME*. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, *LET HIM* calculate the number of the Beast {Even in AD 96 when Revelation was written}, for it is a man’s number {Or “Number of a MAN”}. *HIS* number is *666*.” God has promised in the above inspired passage that any saint {Even in AD 96–which implies that the name was known in AD 96} with spiritual wisdom and insight may calculate the name of the beast which is a *MAN’S NAME* and adds up to 666.

    During the last year of his rule Domitian Caesar decreed that everyone in the Roman Empire must worship idols of former Roman Caesar’s or else they would be killed or put in prison. Historical documents show us that the Apostle John {Who then lived in Ephesus} lived to about AD 100 and therefore would have been alive during Domitian’s evil decree of September AD 95 to September of AD 96.  Since we can be sure that the Apostle John would never worship an idol of a Roman Caesar it is then highly probable that John was put in prison on Patmos Isle sometime during Domitian’s evil decree from September AD 95 to September AD 96.

           In Thess 2:3 the Beast of the End-Times is call

    Reply

  2. RICHARD SCHURZ #

    Dear brother in Jesus,

    God says, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times. what is still to come!…What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned that will I do!”  Isaiah 46:10a, 11b  This Bible study compares all the Scripture on each End-time topic and exposes over 12 absolute contradictions of God’s Word by dangerous and deceptive pre-trib doctrines. The next Bible study shows the 7 Bible clues which positively reveals the identity of 666. Then there is a Bible study which shows how Obama may qualify to be the very deceptive False Prophet of 666. And finally there are interesting Bible-based speculations on how close the Last Days may be.
    Would greatly appreciate any comments or Bible studies you may have on the Last Days.  
    Your eternal friend in Jesus, 
    Richard

    WE ARE ALL EAGERLY WAITING FOR OUR GLORIOUS ETERNAL RENDEZVOUS WITH JESUS!  
     
    I Peter 1:13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for ACTION, and set your hope *FULLY* on the grace to be given YOU when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED*. I Cor 1:7: “YOU do not lack any spiritual gift as YOU eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be *REVEALED*.” Now the pre-tribbers claim that this glorious *REVEALING or *REVELATION* of Jesus will be *CONCEALED* BEFORE the beginning of the Great Tribulation.  However, every other time the Word *REVEALED* {Greek-Apocalipsis} is used related to resurrection events it refers to the glorious REVEALING of Jesus on the *LAST DAY* of the Great Tribulation {See 2 Thess 1:7-10 & Luke 17:26-31}. And *CONCEALED* is the exact opposite of *REVEALED* and *APPEARED* according to every dictionary!  Titus 2:13: “*WE* wait for the *BLESSED HOPE*—the glorious *APPEARING* of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 9:28 “Jesus will *APPEAR* a 2nd time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him!”  Matthew 24:29,30: Jesus says, “IMMEDIATELY AFTER the distress of those days {The Great Tribulation} the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will *APPEAR in the sky and the nations will *SEE* the Son of Man COMING on the clouds!!” I John 2:28: “Dear children, continue in Him, so that when He *APPEARS* WE may be confident and unashamed before Him at His COMING!” {See 2 Thess 1:7-10; I Tim 6:14; Heb 9:28 & Col 3:4}  2 Tim 4:8: Paul said, There is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on THAT DAY—and not only to me, but to *ALL who have longed for His *APPEARING*!!” A meeting at an appointed place and time is called a RENDEZVOUS. We have a RENDEZVOUS with eternity at the glorious *APPEARING and *REVEALING of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ *IMMEDIATELY AFTER the Great Tribulation.
    God has always allowed His people to suffer tribulation and trials because they purify and perfect their faith and will gain countless eternal rewards when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED. There are over 40,000 saints martyred every year and the main culprit is no longer just Islam and the RC Church. The Main culprits now are the 21 Muslim countries and Korea, China, Sudan, Venezuela, Nigeria and the RC Church. Millions of saints were martyred after 1917 in Russia and after 1948 in China. Romans 8:35-37: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?… For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!” I Peter 1:6-8:  “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is *REVEALED.”  I Peter 2:20b,21: “But if you suffer for doing good and endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow IN HIS STEPS.” I Peter 4:12,13: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But REJOICE that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is *REVEALED!” Read other persecution verses: Heb 13:35-40; 2 Tim 3:12; 2 Cor 1:7-10; I Thess 3:3,4; Phil 1:29; Phil 3:10; Rev 12:11; Rev 13:9,10 & Rev 14:13.
           The courageous and faithful Tribulation saints will *NOT* be hurt by God’s *WRATH* as shown in Rev 14:9-11; 15:1,7; 16:1,19; or in any of the 7 trumpet or 7 bowl plagues as explained in Rev 9:4,20,21 and Rev 16:2,4-6,9,10,21; or in any of the plagues of God’s 2 witnesses as per Rev 11:6,10; or in *ETERNAL HELL*: Rev 14:9-11: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of *HIS WRATH*.  He will be tormented with burning sulfur and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever.”
    In Rev 18:1-24 we read about the plagues that will destroy the headquarters of 666 during the Great Triubulation. This evil city on 7 hills {See Rev 17:9} is called “Babylon” which Peter implied was the nicknmame for Rome in 2 Peter 5:13. In Rev 18:4 a voice from Heaven will order God’s saints to stay away from Babylon {Rome-That great seaport-Rev 18:17-19} so that they will not participate in her sins or be hurt by God’s wrath which will completely destroy Rome with many horrific plagues. There are 260 verses from Revelation chapters 6 thru 20 and 128 of these verses or 49% tell of the wrath of God to unbelievers, 666, his False Prophet and Rome. However, not even one of these verses tells of any wrath of God toward His courageous Tribulation saints.
          However, in Matthew 24:3,9-13:  The disciples asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your Coming and the end of the age?? Jesus answered….. {During the Great Tribulation} “Then *YOU* will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and *YOU will be hated by all nations because of Me.  At that time many will turn away from the Faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of *MOST* will grow cold,{THE GREAT APOSTASY} but he {The Called, Chosen & Faithful-Rev 17:14b} who stands firm to the End will be saved.” 2 Thess 2:1,3: “Concerning the Coming of our Lord Jesus and *OUR being gathered to Him…That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first!!” {NIV – Rebellion} It is estimated that there are about 800 million people who claim to be Christians out of the 7 billion people on earth. There are probably about 134 million saved evangelicals which leaves about 666 million who will fall away and follow 666. There will probably be about 6 billion 666 million people who will follow 666 so they can buy and sell everything; which leaves about 200 million that may be saved from every nation tribe and language as per Rev 7:9-14. Matt 7:13,14: Many follow the road to destruction and only a few find the road to life. These numbers are, of coarse, just a speculation.
    The pre-tribbers claim that the “YOU” in Matthew 24:9 above are Jews only and that much of Matthew was only written for Jews like Matthew chapters 5-7. Which is of course completely ridiculous since Jesus said to His 11 Apostles in Matthew 28:19,20 “Go and make disciples of *ALL NATIONS*…teaching them to obey *EVERYTHING* I commanded you!”  {Read John 12:48 & John 14:23}  I John 2:3,4,6:  “We know that we have come to know Him {Jesus} if we obey His  commands.  The man who says, ”I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him… Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” According to Rev 12:17 the Tribulation Saints will also “Hold to the testimony of Jesus!”   Now the pre-tribbers claim that the phrase “His elect” in Matt 24:31 & Mark 13:27 refers only to Jews which is, of course, ridiculous and is refuted in Romans 10:12: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all.” Galatians 3:28,29: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise!!” Read Ephesians 2:11-22!! See “ELECT” in 2 Tim 2:10, Titus 1:1 and 1 Peter 1:1,2.
    God will miraculously take care of His Faithful and Courageous Tribulation Saints {Just as he took care of the Israelites for 40 years in the Wilderness} even though they won’t be able to buy or sell anything as per Rev 13:17a. {See Matthew 6:25-34 where storing up items are forbidden}  This will come as a tremendous shock for those who teach the Prosperity Gospel and who are mainly seeking earthly treasures rather than eternal Heavenly Rewards. They teach: If you accept Jesus as your Savior you have a free pass to Heaven and God forbid that you should suffer any persecution or go through the Great Tribulation; which fits in with the pre-trib doctrines which are designed to increase church membership at the expense of the Truth. When is the last time you heard a sermon on the virtues and courage of the many thousands of present-day martyrs?? And this is probably why there will be a great FALLING AWAY {THE GREAT APOSTASY} at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
    There are some pre-tribbers who wrongly teach that ALL of God’s Tribulation saints will be martyred during the Great Tribulation. This belief is refuted in Rev 13:9,10 & Mark 13:20: Revelation 13:9,10: “He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Mark 13:20: Jesus says, “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them.” How much the Great Tribulation will be shortened will be shown later.
    Rev 6:9-11: When He {Jesus} opened the 5th seal, I saw the souls of those who had been slain {Just like Jesus} because of the testimony they had maintained.  They called out in a loud voice, “How long until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”  The each of them was given a *WHITE ROBE*, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. Rev 7:9,13,14,15a,17a:  “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from *EVERY* NATION, TRIBE, PEOPLE  AND LANGUAGE, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb {Jesus}.  They were wearing *WHITE ROBES*…Then one of the {24} elders {Rev 4:4} asked me, “These in *WHITE ROBES*—who are they and where did they come from?”… And he said, “These are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation; {Martyrs just like Jesus} they have washed their robes and made them WHITE in the *BLOOD OF THE LAMB* {Jesus}. They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night… The Lamb{Jesus} at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd.” {See Rev 12:11 & Rev 13:8-10}   This passage in Rev 7:9 above shows that the Great Tribulation will be mainly for Christians in *EVERY Gentile nation and not just Jacob’s Jewish trouble which absolutely contradicts the main thesis of the pre-trib fairy tale.   Revelation 14:13: Then I heard a voice from heaven say {During the Great Trib}, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” Rev 12:11: “They {THE TRIBULATION MARTYRS} overcame him {Satan} by the *BLOOD OF THE LAMB* and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
    2 Peter 7,10,13: “The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men… But the Day of the Lord {See I Cor 1:7,8} will come like a thief.{To unbelievers} The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up… But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, the Home of righteousness.” Dan 9:24:“70 7′s have been decreed to bring in everlasting righteousness.” {On the LAST DAY of the last 7} Rev 21 1:1-3: Then I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. {THEN} I saw the NEW JERUSALEM, coming down out of heaven from God…,And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them!!” You will note that the New Jerusalem will come only *AFTER the present heaven and earth have passed away! Read Hebrews 11:10, 14-16 & John 14:1-3. The pre-tribbers wrongly believe that THE DAY OF THE LORD is the entire Great Tribulation period. However, Acts 2:20 states “The sun will be trurned to darkness and the moon to blood {See Matt 24:29} **BEFORE** the coming of the great and glorious DAY OF THE LORD.” {See 2 Peter 3:10 above!!}
    Jesus says in Rev 2:17; 3:4, 5, 21: “To him who overcomes…I will give a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it…..He will walk with Me for he is worthy….. I will acknowledge his name before My Father and His angels…. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem…..I will write on him my New Name… and I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” According to Rev 22:3 these 2 thrones will be the only thrones in the Heavenly New Jerusalem!. Rev 19:14: We will ride Heavenly White horses. Dan 12:3: “Those who impart wisdom will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousneess like the stars for ever and ever.”
    Unfortunately most of the pre-tribbers actually believe that the tribulation saints will not be saved by the blood of Christ {See Rev 12:11 & Rev 7:14b!!} like the present church saints; and will not be in the LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE.  However, in Revelation 13:8 we read: “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the Beast {666}….*ALL* whose names have not been written in the *LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE*!”
          2 Thess 1:1; 2:1,3,8”  “To the *CHURCH* of the Thessalonians…Concerning the *COMING* of our Lord Jesus Christ and *OUR* being gathered to Him…Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way for *THAT DAY* will not come *UNTIL* the man of lawlessness is revealed!!… Then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus Christ will destroy with the splendor of His *COMING*!” So anyone who claims that the church saints will be gathered *BEFORE* the coming of the lawless one {666} is absolutely contradicting God’s inspired words!!   This, of course, totally destroys the central pre-trib doctrine of the *IMMINENT* coming of Jesus! {That Jesus could come RIGHT NOW} Since the *COMING of Jesus in I Thess 2:8 is POST-TRIB then the *COMING of Jesus when *WE are gathered to Him in I Thess 2:3 must also be POST-TRIB since it is in the same context and obviously refers to the same day.
          Mark 13:11: “When you are brought to trial {DURING THE GREAT TRIBULATION} do not worry about what to say, for it is not you speaking, but the *HOLY SPIRIT*.” This of course contradicts the ridiculous pre-trib idea that the Holy Spirit will be removed from the saints during the Great Tribulation. Mark 13 is a Tribulation chapter. The only weapon we may use is the sword of the Spirit {Eph 6:17} which is the Word of God.
           Matthew 24:29-31: Jesus says, “Immediately after the distress of those {1260} days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky.” {Luke 21:28 adds “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”} Then the nations will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud {7TH & LAST} *TRUMPET* CALL and they will gather *His elect* from the 4 winds {Mark 13:27b adds:} “from the ends of the earth {Saints on earth} to  the ends of the Heavens {Saints in Heaven}!!” JESUS WILL COME AGAIN WHEN THE *7TH* ANGEL SOUNDS THE LOUD *7th* AND *LAST* TRUMPET CALL OF GOD.  Rev 11:15a, 18: “The *7TH* angel sounded his trumpet… and the time has come for judging the dead and for rewarding your servants the prophets and saints.”  Rev 10:7: “But in the days when the *7th* angel is about to sound his trumpet the *MYSTERY* of God will be accomplished!  I Cor 15:51:  “Listen, I tell you a *MYSTERY*!  We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye, at the *LAST* {Or *7TH*} trumpet.”   There are only 7 trumpets in God’s Word during the Great Tribulation and the 7th TRUMP is of course the *LAST TRUMP when the *MYSTERY* of God will be accomplished, and is also the TRUMPET CALL OF GOD in I Thess 4:16.
    John 6:40” Jesus says, “For my Father’s will is that EVERYONE who looks to the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the *LAST DAY*!”  Pre-tribbers believe that the *LAST DAY* mentioned 6 times in John 6:39,40,44,54;11:24,12:48 refers to a CONCEALED RESURRECTION 7 years *BEFORE THE LAST DAY*.  However, John 12:48 shows that the lost will also be condemned on that same *LAST DAY*! 
    *WHEN WILL THE LOST BE JUDGED AND SENT TO HELL*? John 12:48: Jesus says, “There is a Judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the *LAST DAY*!!”  2 Thess 1:1,6-10:  ‘To the *CHURCH* of the Thessalonians…God is just; He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.  This will happen *WHEN* the Lord Jesus is *REVEALED* {See I Peter 1:13} from heaven in blazing fire….  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting *DESTRUCTION* and shut out from the presence of the Lord *ON THE DAY HE COMES* to be glorified in His holy people!!” {THE LAST DAY-See Rev 20:11-15} Matt 25:31-33,41:  Jesus says, “*WHEN* the Son of Man comes in His glory,{On the Last Day} and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another……He will put His sheep on His right and the goats on the left…. Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire!”   John 5:28,29:  Jesus says, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming {The Last Day} when *ALL* {Both OT & NT Saints} who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”  Daniel 12:1b,2,7b:  “There will be a time of distress {The Great Tribulation} such as not happened from the beginning of nations until then.  But at that time {The Last Day} your people–*EVERYONE* whose name is found written in the book {Both OT & NT Saints}—will be delivered.  Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt…It will be for a time. times and half a time {1260 days-Rev 12:6,14, or 42  {30-day} months-Rev 13:5-{Not 7 years} *ALL* these things will be *COMPLETED.   The pre-tribbers wrongly believe that the OT saints will receive their eternal perfect heavenly bodies 7 years AFTER the Church saints. However, in Hebrews 11:39,40 we read “These {OT super saints mentioned in Heb 11:4-38} were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that ONLY TOGETHER WITH US {NT Saints} would they {OT Saints} be made perfect!”
      By comparing Rev 12:7b and Rev 12:14b we find that 1260 Days and Time {360 Days} Times {720 Days} and ½ a Time {180 Days} are the exact same period of time.  Likewise, when we compare Rev 13:5b with Daniel 7:25b we learn that 42 {30-day Bible} MONTHS and Time {12 Months}, Times {24 Months} and ½ a Time {6 Months} are also the exact same period of time. And therefore 42 {30-Day Bible Months} and Time, Times and ½ a Time are the exact same period of time since 42 X 30 days equal exactly 1260 days.  12 Months = 360 Days = {1 Time}   24 Months = 720 Days = {2 Times}   6 Months = 180 Days = {Half a Time} and 42 Months = 1260 Days = 3 ½ Times.
         NOTE: A BIBLE MONTH IS ALWAYS 30 DAYS!! The only other text where the Bible specifies the number of days in a month besides Rev 13:5b is Genesis 7:11 & Genesis 8:3,4: Where the 17th day of the 2nd Bible Month {Gen 7:11} to the 17th day of the 7th Bible Month {Gen 8:4} is EXACTLY 150 days which would be exactly five 30-day months {Gen 8:3 & Gen 7:34}. All Bible Years are 12 consecutive 30-day months followed by 5 or 6 days.  Pagan Babylonian Moon Months sinfully adopted by Israel during the Babylonian captivity have alternating 29 and 30-day months since there is a New Moon every 29½ days If God was using Babylonian Moon Months in the above passage he would have said that 5 Bible Months were 147 or 148 days and not EXACTLY 150 days!!
          If you check your concordances you will find that there are 20 OT passages that are wrongly translated NEW MOON that should be translated NEW MONTH. In each case the INSPIRED Hebrew word for MONTH {CHODESH} is used, whereas the Hebrew word for MOON {YARAYACH} is not present. {See I Sam 20:5,18,24; II Kings 4:23; I Chron 23:31; II Chron 2:4; 8:12; 31:3; Ezra 3:5; Neh 10:33; Ps 81:3; Isa 1:13,14; 66:23 Ezek 45:17; 46:1,3,6; Hosea 2:11 & Amos 8:5} In the NT Col 2:16 should be translated NEW MONTH instead of NEW MOON since the INSPIRED Greek word for MONTH {MEN} is used, whereas the Greek word for MOON {SELENE} cannot be found. In Col 2:16 the Greek word used is NEOMENIA which should be translated NEW MONTH: For “NEOS” is the Greek word for NEW and “MEN” is the Greek word for MONTH. In May of AD 325 the Council of Nicea decided that starting in April, AD 326 the Resurrection Day of Jesus should be determined by the Babylonian Moon Calendar instead of April 5th, or the 16th day of first Bible month of Abib {See Ex 23:15 & Deut 16:1} The 1st Day of the 1st Bible month of Abib is always sundown Mar 20 to sundown Mar 21. The Nicean Council decided that our Lord’s Resurrection Day should be called EASTER beginning in April, AD 326. DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF EASTER: Easter from the old English Eastre, the name of Babylonian Mother Nature goddess: ISHTAR!! The Phoenician name for ISHTAR or EASTER is Ashtoreth or Asherah who was worshipped as a goddess and the female counterpart of the sun god Baal. She was regarded both as the goddess of war and destruction as well as the deity of love and fertility. Her licentious worship was condemned by God {See Deut 7:5;16:21,22; Judges 2:12,13} The KJV uses the word EASTER instead of Passover in Acts 12:4?
     Rev 13:5,7: The beast will be given a mouth to utter blasphemies and to exercise his authority for 42 {30-day} months {Not 7 years}…He will be given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. [COMPARE Dan 7:25: “He will speak against the Most High and oppress His saints.  The saints will be handed over to him for time {12 months}, times {24 months} and ½ a time {6 months}. {Not 7 years} For example: If the coming of 666 will be on December 11th, 2010 then the 2nd coming of Jesus would occur 1260 days later on May 24th, 2014.     
          Now there are some who suggest that the Anti-Christ will exercise his authority for 7 years {Not 42 Months} and that the Great Tribulation will last 7 years {Not 1260 Days or 3 ½ Times}.  They have only **ONE** Bible verse {Daniel 9:27—which they grossly misinterpret} to support this idea which absolutely contradicts God’s Divine Time Periods as found in Rev 13:5b, Dan 7:25b & Dan 12:7b.   
           NOTE: About 280 years before the Dan 9:24-27 Prophecy God made this amazing prophecy in Isaiah 44:28: The Lord… says of *CYRUS*, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of JERUSALEM LET IT BE REBUILT!” This verse absolutely contradicts the Artaxerxes theory!   NOTE: According to Leviticus 25:8 a Sabbath ‘week’ or 7 is *7 YEARS and 7 times 7 YEARS or ‘weeks’ is a Jubilee or 49 years.
    Dan 9:24-27: “70 7’s {490 years} are decreed for your people to Anoint the Most Holy, TO ATONE FOR WICKEDNESS and to bring in everlasting righteousness… “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree {By Cyrus-Isa 44:28 above} to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One comes {Oct 23, AD 29?} there will be 7 plus 62 7′s {Which is 69 7′s or 483 years}. “After the 62 7′s {actually 1260 days after on April 3-5 AD 33} the Anointed One will be cut off but not for Himself….. He {The Anointed One} will confirm a COVENANT with many for one ‘seven’.  In the middle of the ‘seven’ {After 1260 days} He {The Anointed One} will put an end to SACRIFICE {And then after a long pause} the abomination of Desolation {666} will come {for 1260 days} until the decreed end is poured out on him.” And so the first half of the last 7 has already been completed. Hebrews 9:15,26b-28: Christ is the mediator of a NEW COVENANT so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins commtted under the first covenant…But now He has APPEARED once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the SACRIFICE of Himself… so Christ was SACRIFICED ONCE to take away the sins of many people, and He will *APPEAR* a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
    And so when the Anointed One came 69 7′s or 483 years were 100% completed [See Dan 9:25 above} leaving just one 7 in the future; which will be totally used by those who wrongly believe in a future 7-year Tribulation; which means that the Atonement for sin by Jesus about 3 ½ years after His Anointing can not be included in the 70 7′s Prophecy. However, God’s Word clearly states that 70 7′s are decreed …TO ATONE FOR WICKEDNESS which occurred about 3 ½ years after the end of the 69 7′s and therefore the first half of the last 7 has already been completed! And so the Great Tribulation and the rule of 666 will be 1260 days or 42 months or 3 ½ times which agrees which God’s Word in Dan 12:1,2,7b; Dan 7:25 & Rev 13:5.
    Mark 13:20: Jesus says, “If the Lord had not cut short those {Tribulation} days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them.”The first 69 7′s were 365-day years {7 years = 2557 days} but the Last 7 has been shortened to 360-day years and two 1260-day periods or 2520 days. And so God has shortened the last 7 of the 70 7′s from 2557 days to two 1260-day periods or 2520 days. And God has shortened the Great Tribulation from 3 ½ years or 1278 days to 3 ½ times or 1260 days.
     IS THE 1,000 YEAR FIRST RESURRECTION IN REVELATION 20:4-6 FOR THE 24 ELDERS ON THRONES AND MARTYRS ONLY?? Jesus promised to 12 Apostles who followed Him {Including Paul?} that they would be given 12 thrones and the authority to JUDGE in Matthew 19:28 & Luke 22:30. In Revelation 4:4 Before the beginning of the Great Tribulation John saw exactly 24 thrones surrounding God’s Throne in Heaven. The other 12 thrones were most likely given to 12 prominent OT Elders such as Abraham, Joseph and Isaiah. One of these 24 Elders speaks in Rev 7:13-17 and after the 7TH angel sounds the 7TH and Last Trumpet in Rev 11:15 ONLY the 24 Elders state in Rev 11:16-18: “The time has come for JUDGING the dead and for rewarding your saints.”
      It is completely obvious that the 1,000 year reign mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6 is for 24 ELDERS on Thrones and MARTYRS ONLY according to God’s Word in Revelation 20:4,5b,6a: “I saw Thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to JUDGE and I saw the SOULS of those who had been beheaded {Or martyred} because of their testimony for Jesus {NT Martyrs} and because of the Word of God {OT Martyrs}. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands {Tribulation Martyrs}. THEY {THE 24 ELDERS & MARTYRS} came to life and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years… This is the FIRST RESURRECTION… Blessed and holy are those who have part in the FIRST RESURRECTION. Rev 20:5a: “The rest of the dead {Those saints who are not martyrs or the 24 Elders on Thrones} did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ENDED.” Which, of course, would be the SECOND RESURRECTION at the 2nd Coming of Jesus. There are only TWO RESURRECTIONS for all saints mentioned in Rev 20:4-6: The FIRST RESURRECTION is for Martyrs and the 24 Elders only and INCLUDES the Tribulation Martyrs. And therefore the SECOND RESURRECTION must come on the Last Day of the Great Tribulation and must include all saints {Both OT & NT} who are not martyrs or the 24 Elders on thrones.
    The Heavenly rewards for the faithful and courageous *MARTYRS* is one of the most important central themes in the book of Revelation. For they will reign with Jesus in Heaven during the 1,000 years before His 2MD Coming; and according to Revelation 7:14-17: They are before the Throne of God and God will spread His tent over them. They will receive White Robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. Never again will they hunger or thirst and God Himself will wipe every tear from their eyes. Jesus will be their Shepherd and will lead them to springs of Living Water. Later, on the same Last Day, there will be only 2 thrones: for Jesus and His Father in the Heavenly New Jerusalem. See Rev 22:3 & Rev 3:21.
    FOR EXAMPLE: Let us suppose that the SECOND RESURRECTION takes place on May 24th, 2014; then the continuous 1,000 year FIRST RESURRECTION for MARTYRS AND 24 ELDERS ONLY would take place from May 24th, AD 1014 to May 24th, 2014. The 24 Elders and all of the OT & NT saints martyred before May 24th, 1014 were awakened to reign with Jesus in Heaven and every Martyr martyred after May 24th, 1014 were and will be immediately awakened to reign with Jesus in the continuous 1,000 year FIRST RESURRECTION to be completed on May 24th, 2014 at the SECOND RESURRECTION when “The rest of the dead come to life when the thousand years are ENDED.” {Rev 20:5a} Rev 20:4b “I saw the *SOULS of those who had been martyred because of their testimony for Jesus… they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years. The Martyrs SOULS will only get their New Heavenly bodies when the 1,000 years are ENDED at the 2nd Coming of Jesus.
    This seems to contradict John 6:40: Jesus says, “EVERYONE who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up at the LAST DAY.” However, the LAST DAY RESURRECTION could last 1,000 years for in 2 Pet 3:8 we read: “With the Lord a DAY is like 1,000 years, and 1,000 years are like a DAY!!
    WHEN WAS SATAN STOPPED FROM DECEIVING THE NATIONS SO THAT THE GOSPEL COULD BE PREACHED TO EVERY NATION IN THE WORLD AS PER MATTHEW 24:14 AND REVELATION..7:9?? 
           Let us assume that the Great Tribulation will last 1260 days from April 5th, 2011 to Sept 17th, 2014.  As you know Satan was successful in stopping the Gospel from spreading past 5% of the earth; or southern Europe and Northern Africa for almost 1000 years. Suddenly the Gospel was being preached throughout the pagan kingdoms of Russia, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden around AD 1011.  And in the past 1000 years the Gospel has spread to all of Africa and Asia, North and South America, and all the remote islands of the earth.  As you know the gospel must be preached to every nation of the earth before the end can come as per Matthew 24:14 and Revelation 7:9.  And so about 95% of the world’s nations have heard the gospel for the first time during the past 1,000 years.        Rev 20:2,3: “He {The angel} seized the dragon, who is the devil or Satan and bound him for 1,000 years {FOR EXAMPLE: April 5th, AD 1011 to April 5th, 2011}.  He threw him into the Abyss to keep him from deceiving the nations until the 1,000 years were ended {April 5th, 2011}.  After that he must be set free for a short time.” Or 1260 days from April 5thth, 2011 to Sept 17th, 2014 during the Great Tribulation when Satan will again deceive ALL the nations until the Last Day.
         NOTE: The prophecies and time periods found in Daniel 8:1-27 {1150 days or 2300 morning and evening sacrifices} and Daniel 10:11 to 11:45 and Daniel 12:11,12 {1290 & 1335 Days} were all completely fulfilled during the evil reign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV from 172 BC to 164 BC {See Macabees 1:10,44-64; 4:52,53} and have absolutely nothing to do with the time periods and prophecies of the 1260-Day Great Tribulation or reign of 666; and are not mentioned or even implied in Revelation or anywhere in the New Testament. Daniel 12:1-10 was an End-Time Prophecy parenthesis { } which did not include Daniel 11:45 nor Daniel 12:11,12. Almost all of the prophecies in the OT are a parenthesis { } in a text which had nothing to do with the prophecy. The only End-Time verses in Daniel are Daniel 2:31-45; Daniel 7:7-28; Daniel 9:27b and Daniel 12:1-10.
       Rev 3:1,3: Jesus says, “To the angel of the *CHURCH* in Sardis write…But *IF you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”  1 Thess 1:1, 5:4: “To the *CHURCH* of the Thessalonians…But you brothers, are not in darkness so that *THIS DAY*{Just Mentioned In I Thess 4:16,17} should surprise you like a thief.  You are all sons of the light and sons of the DAY.”  And so once the 1260-day Tribulation begins all of God’s saints will know the exact day that the Tribulation will end at the Second Coming of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the *LAST DAY*.  And so the resurrection day of I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 will not be a surprise to the saints resurrected in I Thess 4:16,17 just as the resurrection day at the end of the 1260-day Great Tribulation will not be a surprise to *ALL* of God’s saints which proves that the resurrection day mentioned in I Thess 4:16,17 will also come  on the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation!!!
          Also in the context of I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 is this interesting statement in I Thess 5:2,3:  “You know very well that the day of the Lord {Just mentioned in I Thess 4:16} will come like a thief in the night. {to unbelievers}  While people are saying ‘peace and safety,’ DESTRUCTION WILL COME ON THEM SUDDENLY… AND THEY WILL NOT ESCAPE!!” {See 2 Thess 1:6-10 and Matthew 25 :31-33,41-46}  After 6 of the last 7 bowl plagues of the Great Tribulation Jesus will make this statement in Rev 16:15: “Behold, I come like a thief!”{See 2 Pet 3:7,10 & Rev 3:3!!} Christ Himself says that He is coming like a thief at the end of the tribulation just before the battle of Armageddon!! This destruction of the lost in hell will occur on the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation as shown above in Matt 25:31-33:41-46: John 5:28,29; 12:48; Daniel 12:1,2,7b & 2 Thess 1:6-10, which firmly places the resurrection mentioned in I Thess 4:16 to I Thess 5:4 on the Last day of the Great Tribulation and not a *CONCEALED* pre-trib rapture 1260 days or 7 years BEFORE the LAST DAY of the Great Tribulation!!  
    WHO WILL BE GOD’S TWO WITNESSES {REV 11:3} OR MEN {REV 11:6} OR PROPHETS {REV 11:10}??
    Zechariah 4:11,14: “Then I asked the angel, ‘What are these *TWO* OLIVE TREES {See Rev 11:4 below} on the right and left of the lamp stand?’… the angel said, ‘These are the TWO who are anointed to serve the Lord of the earth!’”  Rev 11:3-6: {God said to John} “I will give power to My *TWO* witnesses and they will prophesy for 1260 days clothed in sackcloth! These are the *TWO OLIVE TREES {See Zech 4:11,14 above} and the 2 lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire will come from their mouths to destroy their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die {See 2 Kings 1:9-12; Num 16:31-35}. These *MEN* will have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying {See 1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25; James 5:17}; and they will have power to turn the waters into blood {See Exodus 7:15-23} and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.”   Moses and Elijah witnessed to 3 Apostles on the mount of Transfiguration when Moses & Elijah spoke to Jesus about his departure or Ascension, which Jesus was to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem 40 days after His resurrection. Luke 9:30,31: “TWO MEN Moses and Elijah, appeared in GLORIOUS SPLENDOR talking with Jesus.  They spoke about His Departure {Or Ascension} which He was about to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem.” Moses and Elijah were most assuredly the *TWO MEN* dressed in white who witnessed at the Departure or Ascension of Jesus in Acts 1:10,11: “They looked up into the sky as He {Jesus} was going when suddenly *TWO MEN* dressed in WHITE stood beside them. “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!”       And then in Luke 24:2b-6b we read: They did not find the body of Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly *TWO MEN*… stood beside them… And the *MEN* said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? HE IS NOT HERE; HE HAS RISEN!!”    Jesus says in John 8:17b: “The testimony of *TWO MEN IS VALID* and of course the testimony of Moses and Elijah is just about as valid as you can get.        And so the coming of God’s *TWO MEN* or witnesses to prophesy for 1260 days {See Rev 11:3-7} will be their FOURTH appearance as God’s 2 witnesses or MEN. And the reason that their names are not mentioned in Luke 24:3 and Acts 1:10 and Rev 11:3-12 is that the Father, Moses and Elijah want us to glorify *NO ONE ELSE BUT JESUS*!!
        Moses and Elijah will most likely witness miraculously to people in the uttermost parts of the earth in all 6,000 languages. Presently the Bible has been translated into about 2,000 languages from the inspired Greek and Hebrew manuscripts and faith comes from hearing or reading the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. The Bible still has not been translated into about 4,000 languages and Rev 5:9b and Rev 7:9,13,14 must be completely fulfilled.  Surely the courageous tribulation saints will help Moses and Elijah spread God’s Word. They will do a fantastic job since according to Rev 7:9,14 there will be a great multitude from EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE who will be “washed in the Blood of the Lamb”. Moses & Elijah will be dressed in SACKCLOTH which is appropriate since the Tribulation saints will be very poor, for they will not be able to buy or sell anything as per Rev 13:17. Moses and Elijah will certainly speak the Word of God with great power and love. They will not add or take words away from the Prophetic Words of God {See Rev 22:18,19}; and they will encourage God’s courageous saints to adhere to *ALL* of the NT commandments {See Rev 12:13b; 14:12b; Matt 28:20a; John 14:15,21,23; I John 2:2-5} with love {See Matt 5:39-48 & Rom 12:17-21} in the face of severe and hostile persecution.
    Moses and Elijah will begin their 1260-day testimony {Rev 11:3} 3 ½ days before the coming of 666 & the 1260-day Great Tribulation and 1263 ½ days before the Last Day. {*THE FIRST END-TIME EVENT*} Moses and Elijah will warn us of the coming of 666 & his False Prophet.     It seems very appropriate that God will send His TWO PROPHETS {See Rev 11:10b} to warn and prepare His saints for the coming of Satan, 666 and the Great Tribulation for in Amos 3:7 we read: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the PROPHETS!”  GOD’S PROPHETS are mentioned 8 times in Revelation: Revelation 10:7; 11:10; 11:18; 16:6; 18:20,24; 22:6 & 22:9. Whereas; preachers, pastors and evangelists are not even mentioned once in Revelation! God will allow 666 to martyr Moses and Elijah {See Rev 11:7,8} right where their Lord was crucified. {At the new *HOLY PLACE* where Jesus shed his blood for our sins} 3 ½ days later Moses and Elijah will rise to heaven just minutes before the 7th angel sounds the 7th Trump at the 2nd coming of Jesus.{See Rev 11:11-18} Mark 13:14: Jesus says, “When you see 666 standing where he does not belong {At the New Holy Place}….then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” {See Rev 11:7,8 & Rev 16:15}
    John 2:19: Jesus said, “Destroy this TEMPLE and I will raise it again in 3 days.” This HOLY PLACE is where Jesus became the chief cornerstone {Eph 2:20,21} and we are living stones {I Pet 2:5 & 2 Cor 6:16} in the LAST TEMPLE made without hands! {Acts 17:24}     Certainly, the old Jerusalem and the old Temple site are NO LONGER HOLY PLACES.   Hebrews 13:12-14: “Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people HOLY THROUGH HIS BLOOD. Let us, then, go to Him outside the city, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the CITY {THE NEW JERUSALEM} that is to come.” {See Heb 11:10,13-16; Heb 12:22; Rev 3:12b; 21:2,10-27; 22:1-5; 2 Pet 3:13} Gal 4:25,26: “Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem {Called Sodom in Rev 11:8} because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is ABOVE is free, and she is our mother.” {The New Jerusalem}
            Some End-Time Groups who wrongly interpret Daniel 9:27a, and who believe in a 7-year Tribulation, {Starting with a New Jewish Temple} are now spreading false rumors that religious Jews are now building a Temple or are planning to tear down the Muslim Dome of the Rock in order to rebuild a Jewish Temple to Biblical specifications and will then REINSTITUTE animal sacrifices??? However there are several big problems with this scenario: All 21 Arab Muslim nations including Pakistan which has many nuclear bombs would then immediately declare an all-out Holy War on Israel, and the Israeli government fully understands this. I know this for I was a missionary in Israel.  A Jewish Temple built to Biblical specifications would then take at least 7 years to build during this continuous war with the 21 Muslim nations. Most of these same End-Time Groups also teach that a pre-trib rapture could occur TODAY {Not at least 7 years from today} which of course makes the ridiculous *IMMINENT* pre-trib belief {That Jesus could come TODAY} a big joke.
    Now all those who believe in a 7-year Tribulation only because of the wrong interpretation of Daniel 9:27a also believe that immediately following a CONCEALED pre-trib rapture of the Church saints that the Anti-Christ will make a Covenant with Israel; allowing the Jews to make animal sacrifices in a Jewish Temple built to Biblical specifications. They believe that at the end of 3 1/2 years in the middle of the 7 years the antichrist will put an end to all animal sacrifices in this Jewish Temple. However, for over 1,000 years religious Jews have believed that when their Messiah comes He will bring with him the New Jewish Temple and the required Ark of the Covenant. And then the Messiah will re-establish the Levitical priesthood; who will then offer animal sacrifices according to OT Law. For according to OT Law {See Numbers 3:5-10} all Jewish Priests must prove that they are direct descendants of Levi and these Levitical genealogies were completely destroyed when the last Jewish Temple was destroyed in AD 70. Therefore, no Scriptural OT animal sacrifices could possibly occur before then; since no Jew can now prove that he is a Levite!! And so if you are waiting for this Jewish Temple to be built to Biblical specifications by Jews who will then offer animal sacrifices; you are going to have to wait until this bogus Jewish messiah comes.  Please do not hold your breath until this time!
           Did Herod the Great completely destroy the 2nd Temple including its foundations around 17 BC?? The following is a quote from “Antiquities of the Jews” by Josephus, Page 334, Para 1 & 3:  “And now Herod, in the 18th year of his reign undertook a very great work, that is, to build of himself the temple of God and make it LARGER in compass, and to raise it to a most significant altitude, as esteeming it to be the most glorious of all his actions and this would be sufficient for an everlasting memorial to him….so Herod TOOK AWAY THE OLD FOUNDATIONS AND LAID OTHERS, and erected the temple upon them. Herod’s 3rd Temple was 100 cubits {150 feet} long.” {The first two Jewish temples were both 60 cubits {90 feet} long as per 2 Chronicles 3:3 & Ezra 6:3.}  So then Herod’s Temple was the 3RD TEMPLE which according to John 2:20 took “46 years to build”. 
    There are some who believe that a {4th} Jewish Temple built to Biblical specifications will appear during the End-Times and is suggested in Revelation 11:1.  The TEMPLE IN HEAVEN is mentioned 12 times in Revelation where worshippers are present: Rev 3:12;7:15;11:19(2X);14:15,17;15:5,6,8(2x); & Rev 16:1,17. The only other time that a temple is mentioned is in Rev 11:1; where worshippers are present; so this could also be a reference to the TEMPLE IN HEAVEN. Let us compare Rev 11:1 with Rev 7:15 and Rev 8:3-5:  Revelation 11:1: I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the TEMPLE OF GOD and the ALTAR, and count the worshippers there.” Rev 7:15:”They {martyrs as per Rev 7:9-14} are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in HIS TEMPLE.” Rev 8:3-5: Another angel, who had a golden censor, came and stood at the ALTAR. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden ALTAR before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.  Ephesians 2:19b-22:  “You are members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone {Of the 4th and LAST TEMPLE}.  In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a HOLY TEMPLE in the Lord.  And in Him you too are being built {Living Stones-1 Pet 2:5} together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.  2 Cor 6:16 “For *WE are the TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD!”{See Revelation 11:1 above!!} Acts 17:24: The God who made the world and everything in it …does not live in temples built by hands. The “outer court” of the TEMPLE OF GOD in Rev 11:2 would be the saints on earth who are also the TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD.
          Revelation 1:7:  “Look, He is coming with the *CLOUDS*, and *EVERY EYE* will see Him, even those who pierced Him!” This 2nd Coming of Jesus with the *CLOUDS* is also mentioned in Matt 24:30 and I Thess 4:17 and in Matthew 26:64: Jesus replied, “But I say to all of you:  In the future you {Unsaved Jews at His trial} will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty one and coming on the *CLOUDS* of heaven!”   
    There will be 2 Comings of Jesus on the same Last Day.  The First Coming will be *FOR* His saints and His second Coming will be *WITH* His saints on Heavenly White Horses right after they celebrate the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. {Read Rev 19:7-9 & Rev 17:11,14} They will conqer 666 and his 10 armies {See Rev 17:19-21}. This then explains the resurrection of God’s saints in Luke 17:30,35: Jesus says, “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is *REVEALED….two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” All of the lost who are left behind when Jesus is *REVEALED; will later be judged and then sent to hell on that same Last Day. {See 2 Thess 6-10; John 5:28,29; 12:48; Daniel 12:1,2,7b & Matt 25:31-33;41-46}
           Jesus {See Rev 1:10,18} said to John in Rev 1:19: “Write what you have seen, what is now {Rev chapters 2 & 3} and *WHAT WILL TAKE PLACE LATER*.” {Rev chapters 6-22}  Events that will occur on the Last Day are recorded in Rev 6:12-17; Rev 11:15-19; Rev 14:14-20; Rev 16:17-21; Rev 19:1-21 & Rev 20:9b-15.  Question: How many words in Revelation, chapters 6-22 are devoted to a rapture before the beginning of the Great Tribulation??  Answer: *ZERO*!! In Rev 4:1 Jesus invited John to come up to Heaven in AD 96 so that he could write what he saw.  Rev 4:1b: Jesus said to John in AD 96, “Come up here, and I will show you *WHAT MUST TAKE PLACE.”  Unfortunately, there are some pre-tribbers who teach that Rev 4:1 actually proves a *CONCEALED* rapture of the church saints before the beginning of the Great Tribulation; which shows a *NEW LOW in honest Bible exegesis. The Olivet discourse by Jesus about the End-Times are recorded in Matt 24 & 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21.  Events which will occur on the Last Day of the Tribulation including the 2nd Coming are recorded in Matt 24:29-31; Matt 25:31-46; Mark 13:24-27 & Luke 21:25-28.  How many words in the Olivet discourse are devoted to a rapture before the Great Tribulation?  Answer: *ZERO*!!
    Rev 22:16,18,19: Jesus says, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give *YOU* {The Greek for YOU is plural} this testimony {ALL OF REVELATION} *FOR* the CHURCHES.” This contradicts the ridiculous pre-trib idea that Revelation, chapters 4-19, was not written *FOR* the CHURCHES! The word “CHURCH”is also not mentioned in 9 books of the NT: John, Mark, Luke, 2 Tim, 1 John, 2 John, 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude; and is not mentioned in the first 15 chapters of Romans and yet every word in all these NT books are “FOR THE CHURCHES”….. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book.  If anyone *ADDS anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city which are described in this book.”
    It is time for all pre-trib *ADDERS* to repent; and all CLOSET Post-Tribbers to come out of their closets and teach ALL of God’s Word as per 2 Tim 4:1-8 since the End-Times are very near. Paul was inspired to write in 2 Timothy 4:8: “There is in store for me the Crown of Righteousness which the Lord will award to me on *THAT DAY*—and not only to me, but to *ALL who have longed for *HIS APPEARING*.” THE ETERNAL RENDEZVOUS

     WHAT ARE THE 7 BIBLE CLUES WHICH REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF 666???

         Revelation 13:17b,18: “The mark of the beast {Or antichrist} is the *NAME* of the Beast or the number of *HIS NAME*. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, *LET HIM* calculate the number of the Beast {Even in AD 96 when Revelation was written}, for it is a man’s number {Or “Number of a MAN”}. *HIS* number is *666*.” God has promised in the above inspired passage that any saint {Even in AD 96–which implies that the name was known in AD 96} with spiritual wisdom and insight may calculate the name of the beast which is a *MAN’S NAME* and adds up to 666.
           In Thess 2:3 the Beast of the End-Times is called a “*MAN* of sin or lawlessness” or very SINFUL MAN and therefore the name of the Beast which adds up to 666 is a *MAN’S* name which is also confirmed in Rev 13:17b,18 above. Therefore, the NAME of the Beast which adds up to 666 is a sinful *MAN’S NAME* and could not be the name of a woman or a city, country, computer or Satan, etc..  666 is also identified with a MASCULINE pronoun 28 times in God’s Word which we will show later.
    Rev 13:16,17: “He {The False Prophet} forced everyone… to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead. No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name {666}. The antichrist is called a “BEAST” 36 {6×6} times in Revelation. The BEAST is a much better name than antichrist since antichrist is mentioned 5 times in God’s Word {I John 2:18{2X}, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7} and each time the word encompasses all who are against Christ.  I John 2:18: “Even now many antichrists have come.” 
          666 is referred to in the MASCULINE gender 28 times and the Beast is never referred to in the feminine or neuter gender.  It is interesting to note that if the Beast of the end-times will be a religious organization, country or city it would be referred to in the female or neuter gender!!!  The masculine pronouns used for the Beast are “HIS” 11 times: Rev 13:1, 5,16b,18b; 14:9,11; 17:7b; 19:2; 20:4(2X) & Daniel 7:26.  “HE” 10 times: Rev 13:1;6a,7a,7; 17:8b; 17:11; 2 Thess 2:6; Daniel 7:24,25 & Daniel 9:27.   “HIM” 5 times: Rev 13:4b; 19:20; 2 Thess 2:6; Daniel 7:25 & Daniel 9:27.  “HIMSELF” 2 times in 2 Thess 2:4.
          Actually there are **7 BIBLE CLUES** that show who the BEAST of the future 1260-day Tribulation will be. By an amazing coincidence all 7 Bible clues can be applied to Nero Caesar!!
     {{1}}  The BEAST will be a “MAN OF SIN” or very sinful MAN as per 2 Thess 2:3 above.
    {{2}}  The number of this sinful man’s name is 666 as per Rev 13:16-18.  The Bible was written by 40 Divinely inspired Hebrews in Hebrew and Greek so then it is highly probable that this man’s name adds up to 666 in Hebrew or Greek.  Nero Caesar’s name adds up to 666 in Hebrew which we will show later in this Bible study.
    {{3}}  This sinful man whose name adds up to 666 DIED BEFORE AD 96 when Revelation was written.{See Rev 17:8 below} We will show later why Revelation was written between Sept AD 95 and Sept AD 96. Nero Caesar lived from December 15th, AD 37 to June 9th AD 68.
    {{4}} This sinful man who was alive and then died before AD 96 was FATALLY WOUNDED by a sword wound to his head. Nero Caesar committed suicide with a sword wound to his head on June 9th, AD 68. {See Rev 13:3 and Rev 13:14 below}
    {{5}}  This very sinful man who died before AD 96 was a KING in the Roman Empire as per Daniel 7:24. There were 11 Roman Kings or Caesars who died before AD 96 including the 6th Caesar {Nero Caesar} who killed Paul and Peter in AD 66; and whose name adds up to 666 in Hebrew. Domitian Caesar was the 12th Roman Caesar who was alive when Revelation was written in AD 96.
    {{6}}  The beast is also called an 8th KING who ruled before AD 96 as one of 7 evil KINGS crowned by the city on 7 hills. {See Rev 17:9-11}
    {{7}}  This very sinful ROMAN KING whose name adds up to 666 and who was fatally wounded by a sword before AD 96, will “COME UP FROM THE *ABYSS* or *HELL* as per Rev 11:7 & Rev 17:8. We know that the ABYSS is HELL by comparing 2 Peter 2:4 with Luke 8:30b,31. We can be sure that Nero Caesar is now in the Abyss or Hell since he killed Paul and Peter and thousands of Christians and sent Vespasian {the father of Titus and Domitian Caesar} to kill the Jews and destroy their Temple. The MAN OF SIN or Nero also killed his own mother and killed his pregnant wife by kicking her in the stomach.   Inscriptions have been found in Ephesus in which Nero is called “Almighty God” and “Savior”.   In Revelation 13:8a we learn that all the unsaved inhabitants of the world will worship the Beast.  Nero and Caligula “abandoned all reserve” in promoting emperor worship – they were the only two Roman Caesars who demanded divine honors while still alive. Nero claimed to be the sun-god Apollo.  In 2 Thess 2:4 we read that the “Man of Sin” will proclaim that he is God!
          Revelation 17:8: The beast, which you saw, once was {alive}, Now {in AD 96} is not {alive} and will come up out of the ABYSS and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book life. … will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was {Alive before AD 96}, now {In AD 96} is not {Alive} and yet will come. Rev 13:14: He {The False Prophet} will order the inhabitants of the earth to set up an image in honor of the beast who was {FATALLY-Rev 13:3} wounded by the sword and yet lived.”  Rev 13:3: “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been HEALED!! The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. “
    During the last year of his rule Domitian Caesar decreed that everyone in the Roman Empire must worship idols of former Roman Caesar’s or else they would be killed or put in prison. Historical documents show us that the Apostle John {Who then lived in Ephesus} lived to about AD 100 and therefore would have been alive during Domitian’s evil decree of September AD 95 to September of AD 96.  Since we can be sure that the Apostle John would never worship an idol of a Roman Caesar it is then highly probable that John was put in prison on Patmos Isle sometime during Domitian’s evil decree from September AD 95 to September AD 96.
          When I was a missionary in Israel I studied the Hebrew language.  One of the first things that you learn when you study the OT Ancient Hebrew language {Which is also the language of Israel today!} is that the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet ALSO represent 22 numbers! When you read Psalm 119 you will note that the 176 sentences are divided into 22 sections; each section with 8 sentences or verses praising the Word of God. These 22 sections are each headed by one of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet in the exact same order as shown below. The ancient Hebrew language {Which is exactly the same as the modern Hebrew language} frequently used the letters of their alphabet to designate numbers in the OT as follows:  ALEPH=1. BETH=2. GIMEL=3. DALET=4. HE=5. VAV=6. ZAYIN=7. CHETH=8. TETH=9. YODH=10. KAPH=20. LAMED=30. MEM=40. NUN=50. SAMEKH=60. AYIN=70. PE=80. TSADHE=90. KOPH=100. RESH=200. SHIN=300. TAV=400.
          NOTE: Most vowel sounds except “O” {VAV} are not used as letters in Hebrew. These vowel sounds are designated by dots and dashes under their *PRECEDING* consonants. In Hebrew “N” is added on the end of all foreign names ending in “O”. Therefore, the foreign name of Nero would be “NERON” in Hebrew. The name Nero Caesar would be pronounced Neron Kaysar in Hebrew. The “E” in Neron and the 2 “A” sounds in Kaysar {There is no “C” in Hebrew} are designated by dots and dashes under their preceding consonants and therefore are not letters in the 22 letter Hebrew alphabet, and so have no numerical value.
          Neron in Hebrew would use 4 letters with numerical value: N-R-O-N and Kaysar in Hebrew would use 3 letters with numerical value: K-S-R. There would be a dot under the first N to show the “E” sound in NEron There would also be 2 dots under the “K” to show the “AY” sound in KAYsar and a dash under the “S” to show the “AH” sound in KaySAHr.  The 4 letters with numerical value in NERON would be {SEE TABLE ABOVE} N = NUN = 50; R = RESH = 200; O = VAV = 6; and N = NUN = 50 and 50+20+6+50 equals 306. The 3 letters with numerical value in “KAYSAR would be K = KOPH = 100; S = SAMEKH = 60; and R = RESH =200 and 100+60+200 equals 360. And
    so the numerical value of Nero in Hebrew is 306 and the numerical value of Caesar in Hebrew is 360, and therefore the numerical value of Nero Caesar is 306+360 or exactly *666*!
          There is a very interesting footnote in the revised Standard Version concerning the number 666 which states that some ancient manuscripts have the number **616** which *DOUBLY* confirms that Nero Caesar may be the future Anti-Christ!! You will note that the Hebrew language adds an “N” to all foreign names ending in “O”. Now “N” or “NUN” in Hebrew has a numerical value of **50**!! and so if you decided not to add the last “N” in NERON then Nero Caesar would add up to exactly *616* in Hebrew. This is an absolutely amazing coincidence!
          Any honest Hebrew language scholar will confirm that the letters of Nero Caesar’s name add up to 666 in the Hebrew language whose 22 letters are also 22 numbers as shown above, and the Bible was written by 40 Jews. Since all of the prophecies concerning the antichrist are written in OT Hebrew {Like Daniel 7:8-25} or NT Koine Greek it would then seem logical that God would use one of these 2 Bible languages to identify the Name of the Beast whose letters add up to 666. One of the problems of doing this in NT Koine Greek is that the letters of their alphabet are not also numbers. And therefore you can only assign a numerical value of 22 to the 22nd letter, etc.. Using this formula you could not get any name to add up to over 250, let alone 666. You have the same problem with English & all other languages other than the Hebrew language! The 3 different Greek words used in Rev 13:18b to arrive at the number 666 are the 3 different Greek words for 600 and 60 and 6 and not 6 +6 + 6.
         And so the *6th Caesar {Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius & the *6th* was NERO} ordered the execution of Paul & Peter in AD *66*. NERO fulfilled *ALL 7 BIBLE CLUES as to the identity of *666 and will be the Beast who comes up from the Abyss {Or Hell-See Rev 11:7 & Rev 17:8} in the coming Great Tribulation!!
      WHAT CITY WILL BE THE HEADQUARTERS OF 666 OR NERO CAESAR?? Most Bible scholars believe that the book of First Peter was written shortly after the beginning of Nero’s Roman persecution of Christians in AD 64 because of I Peter 4:12,13 & 5:8,9. We know that Peter and his wife were living in Rome at this time. Peter was inspired to write in I Peter 5:13: “She {Peter’s wife} who is in *BABYLON* {Nickname for *ROME*!} sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.” Apparently some Christians including Peter were inspired to call ROME “BABYLON” after Nero’s terrible persecution of Christians starting in AD 64. This is very interesting since the evil city of the End-Times is called “BABYLON” 6 times in Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2,10,21.
    All encyclopedias agree that Babylon was completely evacuated in 275 BC and completely destroyed by 141 BC. The Wikipedia encyclopedia states, “By 141 BC, when the Parthian Empire took over the region, Babylon was in complete desolation and obscurity.” The only question that remains is: Was Babylon rebuilt so that there could be people living in Babylon around AD 65 when Peter wrote 1 Peter 5:13??? Which leads us to the promises of God in Jeremiah 50:1-3,13: This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah concerning Babylon..”Babylon will be captured… A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both men and animals will flee away!” Also read Jeremiah 52:52:61-64: And God ALWAYS keeps His promises. If you check out the latest Iraqi Tour Guides you will notice the following statement: “Today, Babylon lies COMPLETELY in ruins. A large and splendidly carved stone lion is all that remains of its former glories.”
    “Babylon” {Nicknamed Rome by Peter} is a “GREAT SEAPORT” in Rev 18:17-19; JUST LIKE ROME and UNLIKE Babylon whose ruins are NOW 4 miles from the very shallow Euphrates River; and UNLIKE Jerusalem which is 2000 to 3000 feet above sea level and 35 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. Babylon is also completely FLAT whereas the End-Time “Babylon” will be a city built on 7 Hills JUST LIKE ROME!!  Rev 17:18: “The woman you saw {Rev 17:3–Who sits with the Beast with 7 heads} is the great *CITY* {Rome–nicknamed Babylon in I Peter 5:13–See Rev 17:5a} that will rule over the kings of the earth.” The headquarters of 666 will be destroyed about 2 weeks before the Last Day. Rev 18:19: ”Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.” See Rev 17:5,6; & Rev 18:24.

    INTERESTING SPECULATION AS TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT OBAMA MAY BE THE FUTURE FALSE PROPHET OF 666. THE FALSE PROPHET IS MENTIONED IN REVELATION 13:11-17; 16:13; 19:20 & 20:10
           Revelation 6:7,8: When the Lamb opened the 4th seal, I heard the voice of the 4th living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death {666 who will cause the death of millions} and Hades {The False Prophet who will cause millions to go to Hades by receiving the mark of 666} was following close behind him. THEY {Nero Caesar and the False Prophet?} were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. Rev 13:3,4: “The whole world…worshippe

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This web site is managed by Lampstand Communication Australia and is a Kingdom of God orientated outreach ministry. Promoting the deeper study of Gods Word and the reconciling of the Body of Jesus Christ to him. You will find Bible Study and Mp3 resources from past and present Kingdom of God Pioneers.

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