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Christ's Kingdom and the End Times

Month: April 2018

END TIMES.(Rapture, Wrath, Redemption).MILLENNIAL KINGDOM

April 27, 2018 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #65 ~

I picture a huge, cosmic stop sign, and it’s just a little way down the road. When we get to that stop sign, it means this age is over, that this world as we know it has come to a sudden end, to a screeching halt. When we get to that stop sign (“the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light” – Matthew 24:29), we know God has put on the brakes, and that everyone will be stopped in their tracks! But then what? To Christians on earth it means the rapture and going to heaven. To non-Christians, it means God’s wrath and “hell” on earth. For many Jews, it’s a sign that their promised redemption is right around the corner.

The first thing to take place at the end of this age is the coming of Christ and the rapture of the church. All Christians living on earth will be caught up and gathered together with all the other believers, and meet Jesus, their Savior, in the air. For these raptured saints, this will be their most exciting moment ever, for they will immediately be rescued from the wrath to come, given relief from great tribulation, redeemed from this wicked world, glorified by God, reunited with friends and loved ones, rewarded for their labors, and most importantly, received by Jesus Christ. To His disciples, Jesus said, “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”  John 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Shortly after the rapture, God’s wrath will be poured out upon the non-Christians. This wrath is the Day of the Lord, that “hell” on earth I just mentioned. All over the world, unbelievers will be “fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world” (Luke 21:26). They will be running and trying to hide, but it’s no use, for they won’t get away from God. Revelation 8-9, 16 speaks about this wrath, summarizing the catastrophic and deadly consequences for all the unrepentant unbelievers still on earth. These godless sinners deserve this judgment, for they persecuted Christians, and repeatedly rejected God and His offer of mercy. There will be unrelenting fire, scorching heat, tormenting locusts, utter darkness, billions of people killed, and the utter devastation of this planet.  “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty… who is to come.” Revelation 4:8

Then there’s the salvation of a remnant of Jews, which God promised thousands of years ago, and will bring to pass. Ezekiel 36-37 describes the gathering of the Jews from the nations, how these dry bones of Israel are physically coming to life, which we have been seeing for the past 130 years. But they will spiritually come to life, for we read that “they will be My people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 37:23). Luke 21:24 tells us the timing of God’s miraculous redemption of His chosen people for “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” This great number of Jews will be saved at the end of Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9:24). Romans 11:25-26 says it this way, “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved.”

In the near future, there will be three major events, the rapture of the Christians, the wrath of God upon the unbelievers, and the redemption of the Jews. These will all occur after the end of this age, but before the start of the next age. Then Christ will begin His reign on earth, a reign which will last exactly one-thousand years. All the believers who have lived during this present age will be glorified at the time of the rapture, and will be joyfully reigning with Christ during this next age, this millennial kingdom age. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Revelation 5:10

The rapture, wrath, and redemption are major prophesied events which will take place, and will dramatically, wonderfully and eternally affect you and this whole world. Let me also say:
– These God-ordained events, the rapture, the wrath and the redemption will take place, transitioning us from this present age to the next age.
– The book of Revelation focuses on this transition, with the main events being the rapture, the wrath and the redemption. Revelation 2-19 covers the end-times (2-6, 12-13), the rapture (7), God’s wrath (8-9, 15-18), the redemption of the Jews (7, 10-12), all leading to Christ’s millennial kingdom (20). Many details about this short transition time are given in these chapters, and will be looked at later; but for now, remember the big picture, God’s glorious working with the Christians, the Jews and the unbelievers.
– The total time for the rapture, wrath and redemption will be only a year or two or three (we don’t know the exact time). Therefore, all raptured Christians will only be in heaven a short time, and then return to earth with the other believers, to begin reigning with Jesus Christ over this world. Revelation 19:11-19, 20:4

Right now, we are all traveling down this road of life, heading straight to the end of this age, and soon we will see that huge stop sign in the sky. Be thankful that God is faithfully moving you along, that He is sovereignly working all things after the counsel of His will, “with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens, and things upon the earth… to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:9-12). Amen!

P.S. There have been many posts and articles about Jesus Christ coming back to earth. But specifically, why is He coming back? I encourage you to read this article, Why is Jesus Coming Back to Earth?, for it gives many Biblical reasons why Christ is returning, and needs to return.

The Immediate and Incredible Results of the Rapture!

April 20, 2018 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #64 ~

Just think, there will be an enormous number of people living in the end times who won’t ever get married, won’t ever have children, won’t ever live to the age of 40, won’t ever get old, won’t ever retire, or won’t ever physically die. That’s because Jesus Christ will return to this world and bring this present age to an end, suddenly interrupting and stopping the plans and “normal” activities of billions of people living on this earth.

The first thing to take place at Christ’s return is the rapture of the church. At that time, all Christians will be physically and forcefully removed from the earth, and be immediately taken to be with Christ. The rapture of the church will be one of the most climactic and dramatic events ever, a major turning point in the history of our world. For those of us on earth at Christ’s coming, it will be the most life-altering, body-changing, soul-exciting and God-glorifying event we will ever experience. Why can we say that?

The word rapture, from the Greek “harpazo”, refers to what physically happens to Christians living on earth at the return of Christ, but so much more will be taking place:
– When Christ returns you will get immediate relief from the great tribulation and persecution you are going through. 2 Thessalonians 1:4-7
– When Christ returns you will be rescued from God’s punishing wrath, the devastating and deserved judgment of God to be poured out upon unbelievers. 1 Thessalonians 1:10
– When Christ returns you will finally rest from your work, from the blood, sweat and tears of living, laboring and lovingly sacrificing your life for the Lord. Revelation 14:13
– When Christ returns, your soul will be redeemed, quickly and safely delivered from this wicked world, and from your corrupt and sin prone body. Ephesians 1:14
– When Christ returns, you will perfectly and forever be glorified, for you will receive a brand new, powerful, immortal and spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
– When Christ returns, all believers from all time will be gathered together to Himself. How glorious this will be, for you will be joined with a great multitude of believers, and be shouting, celebrating and worshiping the Lord. Matthew 24:31
– When Christ returns, you will be joyfully reunited with loved ones and friends who have already died and gone on to heaven before you. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
– When Christ returns, you will be greatly rejoicing, pouring out praises to God for your salvation, for His gracious, infinite and eternal love for you. Revelation 7:9-10
– When Christ returns, you will be richly rewarded for your earthly service for God, for you will be given an imperishable and undefiled inheritance that you will have and enjoy forever and ever. 2 Timothy 4:8
– When Christ returns, you will be with Him! Can you imagine actually seeing and being with Jesus, your Lord, Savior and best Friend? How wonderful and exhilarating to finally see Him, “and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17, John 14:1-3

Raptured, relieved, rescued, resting, redeemed, glorified, gathered, reunited, rejoicing, rewarded, and with Jesus!! This is God’s promise and guarantee to you, what’s definitely going to happen when Christ returns. This is what God wants you to get excited about, to be looking forward to, and to be telling others. But the rapture, and all that goes with it, is just the very beginning. Right after the rapture, there’s the righteous wrath of God on earth, the salvation of some Jews, and Christ’s return to planet earth. Then begins the next age, a good age, a glorious 1000-year kingdom age when Christ will be personally ruling over the world, and you and I, with all the other glorified believers, will have the great honor and privilege of reigning with Him. Psalm 47; Revelation 5:10, 20:4

We now live in an evil age, a time when “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). But the evil one is like a dog on a leash, for he is reined in by God, the One who is sovereign over the devil and the entire world. Now in these last years of the end times, God is on the move, and every single day He is working with every single person, strategically and faithfully carrying out His eternal plan to bring His Son back to this earth. Don’t be sleeping or sinning. Be awake and alert, loving and trusting God, serving Him, making disciples, and waiting for your Savior. I hope you realize that Jesus is really looking forward to seeing you. Are you looking forward to seeing Him? The truth is that you will soon see Jesus – either you will physically die and see Him in heaven, or you will be alive on earth when He returns, and see Him triumphantly coming in the clouds.

“The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Job 19:25-27

P.S. For a more in depth look at the rapture I encourage you to read this article: 50 Truths God Wants You to Know About the Rapture.

P.P.S. You may have heard about someone predicting that Christ is coming back on April 23, 2018.  That is not true!!!  Please check out a previous post which clearly explains why this, and any date-setting teaching  on the rapture, is false.

This Age is Coming to an End, and Then a New Age Will Begin

April 13, 2018 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #63 ~

We live in an age that will soon come to an end, and then the next age, a new age, will begin. But when will this happen? That’s what the apostles asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). These Jewish disciples were finally realizing Jesus would be leaving them, but they were convinced He would come back and set up His kingdom on earth. They believed God’s promises about the Messiah reigning as King over Israel, and over the world, and they wanted a sign to let them know when this would begin to happen. In last week’s post we looked at Matthew 24, and discovered a number of events that will occur before the end of this age. This week I want to focus on the present age, and the age to come. Ephesians 1:21 speaks of Jesus Christ “…not only in the present age, but also in the one to come.”

First, let’s get some perspective. Since that first sin of Adam thousands of years ago, we have been living in “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4). The clear-thinking Christian can see Biblically, historically, and at the present time, that people living on this planet are exceedingly sinful. But it’s not just that there are sinful people, it’s that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). There’s no doubt that we live in an evil age, at a time and in a place, controlled by the devil.

But we can gladly say that God has been sovereignly ruling over the world during this entire evil age. “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom” (Psalm 145:13). During this time, God has been working through both the Jews and the church, and His work has not been thwarted, and will not be thwarted. With respect to the Jews, “The Lord nullifies the plans of the nations… the plans of the Lord stand firm forever… blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose” (Psalm 33:10-12). With respect to the church, Jesus says, “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). Yes, we live on an evil earth in an evil age, but we know that God has chosen His people, and He will keep them “strong to the end.” 1 Corinthians 1:8-9

Many people think this church age will keep going for a long, long time. But they are mistaken, for now we live in the end times, evidenced by the fact that the Jews are, once again, living in their land. Many also believe this age is going to get better and better, and then Christ will return. This also, is not true, for the Bible says this world will be getting worse and worse, and then Christ will come back. It tells us, “lawlessness is increased” (Matthew 24:12); “the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37); and “in the last days, difficult times will come.” 2 Timothy 3:1

Let’s look briefly at Matthew 24, for it has lots to tell us about the end of the age:
1. Many prophesied events have been and will be fulfilled, signifying that the end of this age, Christ’s coming, and the rapture is getting closer and closer. Matthew 24:3-44
2. “Birth pain” events are taking place, “but the end is still to come” (Matthew 24:6). Famines, wars, earthquakes, etc. that are occurring now do not mean the end of this age is imminent, that it can occur at any time, and that the rapture could even happen today. Many more things need to take place before this age will come to an end.
3. Christians are exhorted to persevere “to the end” (Matthew 24:13). Many Christians living on earth in the end-times will experience great tribulation, and will need to endure to the end, to Christ’s coming, and then they will be saved, that is, be raptured.
4. The gospel will be “preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). A big part of serving God is to keep telling people about their need for Christ, right up to the end of this age and the rapture.
5. The specific and obvious sign that this age has come to an end is when the “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give it’s light…” (Matthew 24:29). All believers living on earth will know this evil age is over when they see this heavenly sign, and immediately they will be raptured, be rapidly taken from this earth to be with Jesus Christ.

What does God want you to know? What does He want you to be looking for? The end of this age, the coming of Christ, and the rapture of the church (Matthew 24:29-31). Then after the end of this age and the rapture, God will pour out His wrath on earth, a great remnant of Jews will be saved, and Christ will begin His glorious thousand-year reign. That’s when the next age begins, and it will be a new and good age, a time when all believers will reign with Christ, a time when we will see the holiness, power, wisdom, love and dominion of God like never before. It will be a time when “God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him” (Psalm 67), and “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14

I can’t say it strong enough – this present evil age is coming to an end, and soon!!! Now in these last years of this age, it’s our time to serve the Lord, to work hard for Him, to help bring about the return of Christ and the rapture of the church! “Make disciples of all the nations… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

P.S.  I encourage you to read The Return of the King,  an article that helps us to see the big picture and how that relates to the end of this age.

What is the Main Message of Matthew 24?

April 6, 2018 /

By Steven J. Hogan

~ A Saturday Morning Post #62 ~

THE COMING OF CHRIST! Matthew 24 is about Christ’s 2nd coming and events leading up to it. The disciples had privately asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (verse 3). Jesus went on to give them a detailed answer. He wanted them to know what would be taking place before His return, but more importantly, He wants those of us living in these end-times’ days to know what to be looking for.

Jesus first spoke about birth pains affecting both believers and unbelievers (verses 4-8). These birth pains are false Christs, wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes now occurring in various places all over this planet. At this time, in 2018, our world is in the beginning birth pain stage, which means it’s “not yet the end” of the age. Therefore, Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church is not imminent. Revelation 6:1-8

Then Jesus spoke about events relating to and affecting Christians living in the end times (verses 9-14). All over the world, Christians will be experiencing great tribulation; so-called Christians will be turning away from the true faith (apostasy), and then betray believers; many false prophets will lead people astray; widespread lawlessness will bring sorrow to our souls; by God’s grace, many Christians will endure to the end of the age and be physically saved, that is, raptured into heaven; the gospel will be preached to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus describes what will be affecting the Jews in Israel during this time, this 2nd half of Daniel’s 70th week (verses 15-28, Daniel 9:27). He tells us about the “abomination of desolation”, which is when the Antichrist “takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). There’s great tribulation directed by the Antichrist against the Jews, and then against the Christians around the world. Revelation 12:17 also speaks about this: “the dragon (devil) was enraged with the woman (Jews), and went off to make war with the rest of her children (Christians), who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” These will be very difficult and distressing days, for many people will die – “wherever the corpse is…”

Then there’s some very good news (verses 29-31), for this tribulation affecting both Jews and Christians will be cut short. “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” These heavenly signs will mark the end to this tribulation and this evil age. At the perfect time, Jesus our Savior, will suddenly and wonderfully appear in the skies above us. “As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be… the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” Christ will gather together all God’s children to Himself, those who have already died, and are now in heaven, and those still living on earth. “He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Then Jesus tells us about the timing of His coming (verses 32-36). He says “when you see all these things” talked about in this chapter, then you will know that His return, the rapture and our redemption, is near. That is, we are to know the general time of His coming. But we will not know the specific time, for Jesus goes on to say, “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Hebrews 10:25 – “Encouraging one another… as you see the day drawing near.”

Jesus also wants us to know about the unbelievers (Verses 37-41). This is so sad, and sobering, for the unsaved living on earth in these days will be oblivious to what will be taking place. “The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah… they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” They will be mocking Christians, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? (2 Peter 3:4)”. They will be ignorant of the fact that “the Judge is standing right at the door (James 5:9),” that God’s devastating wrath will soon be poured out upon the earth. But when the skies go dark, they will know “the great day of their wrath has come… (Revelation 6:12-17)”. At the coming of Christ, “one will be taken (Christians), and one will be left (non-Christians).”

Jesus has some final words for Christians (verses 42-51). “Be on the alert… you also must be ready… who then is the faithful and sensible slave?” His instruction to us is crystal clear – be working and waiting for Christ. “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

I am so thankful that Jesus, our Lord, Teacher and Friend, has told us ahead of time about His coming. “Behold, I have told you in advance (Matthew 24:25).” There’s no doubt that we need to read this most important prophecy chapter, Matthew 24, so we can know what to expect before Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

P.S.  An article that will be helpful to read that goes along with this post is: Matthew 24 – The Most Important Prophecy Chapter in the Bible.

© Steven J. Hogan and ChristsKingdom.org, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven J. Hogan and ChristsKingdom.org with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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