Category: Articles (Page 5 of 5)

Article 10

By Steven J. Hogan

The subject of prophecy is extremely important and relevant for all Christians who are now living on this earth. It is God’s Word, and it is God telling us what will be taking place in the future. And at this time in history Biblically prophesied signs and events are taking place before our very eyes, proving to us the fact that we are now living in the end times. One of the main reasons we know we are in the end times is that the Jews, since the late 1880’s, have been re-gathering back to Israel, which is what God predicted would happen about 2600 years ago. Ezekiel 36-37

When it comes to Biblical prophecy, there is often ignorance, confusion, error, misinformation, and apathy on the part of many Christians, and this should not be. The Lord has told us quite clearly what He wants us to know about the future, and to not know, to not be interested, to be confused, or to be in error is not good, is not right, and is very sad. Mark 13:23

Our heavenly Father has told us explicitly and emphatically that His Son, and our Savior, is soon returning to earth. Therefore, we should be extremely excited, overjoyed, and looking forward to this, for Christ’s return will be one of THE greatest events in the history of the world! Just think, you and I may literally see Jesus Christ come in the clouds, and then we will be with Him forever! At this time in history, God is waking up more and more of His children to the truth about the end times, and the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. Daniel 12:4

For the past 25 years I have been studying this subject of prophecy, and I must say that it is God who has fired up my spirit with a love for Him and a love for His return, and therefore a love for Biblical, prophetic truth. Now I must admit that this subject, on one hand, is quite simple – Jesus Christ is coming back, and He is coming back to rapture the saints, pour out His wrath on this earth, redeem a remnant of Jews, and then reign over the entire world. That sums it up. Revelation 7-11

But this subject of prophecy is also quite complex: there are lots of details that God gives us on this subject, and it takes much study, prayer, and most importantly, God’s Spirit to understand what God is communicating to us concerning His Son’s return, and specific events associated with it. But this seeming complexity and great volume of information should not at all deter us from examining this relevant subject, but instead motivate us all the more to study it. God has given us truth that He really wants us to know, and that we can know. 2 Timothy 2:15

Christians throughout the centuries have spent much time, and rightly so, studying and teaching many important Biblical subjects, like God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, man, salvation, the church and God’s Word. Some call this body of truth “Systematic Theology”. There is no doubt that God, at this present time, is impressing upon the church the need to study eschatology, the subject of the end times, and to then teach it with authority, clarity, conviction, and urgency. Daniel 12:9, 2 Timothy 4:1-2, Luke 12:56

God is waking up a great number of Christians around the world as to the present day relevance of prophecy. Now is the time for you to wake up and to be aware and alert to events now taking place in the world, and to understand this subject of prophecy, and to be overjoyed about the coming of Christ, and to know then how you should live. 1 Chronicles 11:32

Let me briefly explain my background as it relates to charts. I have always loved math. I remember my 7^th grade math poem – “Math is a challenge you can’t forget; you’ll get those numbers in the right places yet….” I have enjoyed explaining math concepts to people, and helping them solve math problems. I was a junior high and high school math teacher for a while. I love order and direction and chronology, seeing what takes place, and then what takes place after that, etc. I am a linear person.

I love maps, and I have lots of maps in my file drawer at home. I love maps that give you the big picture, that help you see everything at once, that help you know where you are at, and where you are going. These prophecy charts are like maps, maps that help us see where we are at now in the 21^st century, where we have come from and where we are going.

For many years the Lord has helped me to study and teach this subject of prophecy, but it’s been the past two years that He has burdened me with the need to design and make charts so as to pictorially and specifically explain the great future that God has for His people. But before you begin to really look at and study these charts, that my friend Gino and I have been putting together, there are many things I need to tell you about them.

1. My goal with the charts is to encourage you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and for you to love Him more and more, and to be looking forward to His soon return, to that time when you will literally see Him and forever be with Him, and with your loved ones and other believers. Revelation 22:12

2. My goal is to teach you prophetic truth that is given to us in God’s Word, to help you clearly understand it and how events now taking place in our world relate to it. These charts are based on the Bible, and are designed to communicate and illustrate to you the glorious future God has for us. These charts are to help you see that the world isn’t just sitting still, that history doesn’t repeat itself, but that God is presently, powerfully and sovereignly working in this world, carrying out His Word, His will, and His purposes for this earth, for the believers and for the Jews. Psalm 33:4-12

3. These charts are like Bible studies, for they are based on the Bible. I will not do a chart unless there is a clear Biblical basis for it, Scripture behind it and verses attached to it. The purpose of these charts is to help you to know, believe and learn what the Bible says about prophesy. I know that we can’t understand everything in the Bible when it comes to prophecy. But that does not diminish my desire and should not diminish your desire to diligently study the prophetic word of God. We should want to learn what God wants us to learn, and these charts are designed to help you to understand future Biblical prophecy.

4. My goal for these charts is to motivate you to study this subject yourself, to be reading the many prophecy verses, passages and chapters that speak about the return of Jesus Christ, and events related to His return, and then to share this truth with others, specifically with those who are hungry to learn. Acts 17:11, 2 Timothy 2:1

5. The charts are a means to quickly, clearly and accurately learn prophetic truth, to discover what the Bible says about the future God has for this world. People in this day and age don’t seem to have much time to read – they want pictures, texts, tweets and instant messages. Now it is true that some learn better by seeing pictures than by reading words, and these charts are to help you clearly picture the prophetic word. My desire is that seeing God’s Word charted out will help believers to more easily understand the truth of Bible prophecy.

6. These charts are designed not just to teach truth, but to correct error. And there is so much error, so many wrong ideas and inferences, so many false presuppositions on this subject that are just not true. There is lots of misinformation, exaggeration and circular reasoning, and all this needs to be exposed, and then countered and corrected with the truth, and let me suggest, by using some of these Bible based charts. Matthew 24:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2

7. The principle focus of these charts is the end times and the rapture of the church. Now some charts first take you back in history, so as to give you the big picture, to help you see the beginning from the end. But the main theme in most of the charts is our God planned, God ordained and God glorifying future.

8. Each chart is designed to stand alone. There are usually one or two main points to each chart, and so each chart should be clear and understandable to you. But each chart is also like a puzzle piece, and so there are many other charts, many other pieces of the puzzle, and understanding the individual charts is necessary to understanding the big picture of prophetic truth.

9. Some of the charts actually show the whole big prophetic picture at once, and other charts are like individual pieces of a puzzle that, when put together with all the other pieces, make up this big picture. My overall goal is for you to see how all the pieces fit together, and then to see the big picture. And it’s imperative that you see the big picture, what God has done in the past, what He is doing now, and what He plans to do in the future. Too many Christians get lost in their own little world, and fail to see how they fit in with God’s overall plan, with the truth of God’s prophetic Word, especially in these days. They fail to see how every single detail in the world, everything in the past and present, is now fitting in with God’s comprehensive plans for the world at large, and specifically for His people, and for the future He has for them. Charts #4 and #86 give you the big picture of God’s working in the world, from His beginning with mankind to eternity future, and of God’s ultimate goal, which is His great glory. It will be very helpful for you to look at these big picture charts first, for all the charts fit in with these few charts. Psalm 145:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

10. No chart in and of itself is complete, covering all prophetic truth. It can’t be. There is so much information in God’s Word on this subject of prophecy, and no person can see it and understand it all at once. Not only that but there’s way too much information to put on just one little piece of paper. That is why it’s imperative to get perspective, to first see the big picture, and then see the smaller puzzle pieces, how prophetic truth and prophesied events all fit together, and are all part of this big picture.

11. Some charts are simple, and can be quickly looked at and understood, but others are more complex, and will take more time, and will need to be carefully studied, thought about, and prayed over. Some charts have lots of information on them, and I encourage you to try to understand the different verses and points, and how it all fits in with the main message of the chart. But the many different points of the church are only to support and help you to see the main theme of the chart. It’s good to be a Berean and to take the time to look up these verses, and get your own Biblical convictions as to what God is saying in His Word.

12. Many present day prophecy teachers focus on the immediate future, which is well and good. But there is also a need in our churches for people to not just know about Christ’s coming and the rapture, and the events taking place before it, but to see beyond it, and way beyond it. Christians need to know that Christ’s coming, and the immediate future is not an end itself, not an end of the story, but a beginning point and a bridge to the next age, the millennial kingdom age. This kingdom age is what the Old Testament Jews were looking forward to, and we are not even there yet – we are still in the church age. Yes, Revelation is at the end of the Bible, but it is by no means the end of story, but is that which speaks of the end of this church age, and is a segue to the ages to come, the kingdom ages, the ages when Jewish believers, Christians, believers from all time will be together with Jesus Christ forever and ever. Amen.

13. The charts are based on God’s Word. Most ideas for the charts come from a relatively few books in the Bible, like Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Micah, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Peter, and Revelation. When you study prophecy these are the books I encourage you to read. I can say that these charts are not my ideas, and are not any man’s opinions or thoughts, but are diagrams based on truths and events specifically talked about in God’s Word, and in some cases corroborated by verifiable events in history. I know I am not by any means perfect, but I have tried to be perfect in my understanding of God’s prophetic word, and how it relates to our present world, and the future God has for us. There may be some errors, and please let me know if you see any.

14. Most of the charts are designed for Christians, but there are a few for unbelievers. That is, a few of these charts are more evangelistic. My desire is for unbelievers to look at any one of these charts, and hopefully and prayerfully be affected and convicted by it. As Christians we must understand the great opportunity we have in these days to tell people about Jesus Christ and their need for salvation. We must warn unbelievers of God’s judgment of the world at Christ’s 2^nd coming, and then tell them about Christ’s 1^st coming, and of salvation and forgiveness of sins that only comes only when they repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:27-28

15. There are a number of charts about the Jews. Now there are many Christians who do not believe there is a future for the ethnic Jew, and believe that the land of Israel (Palestine) has no future place for the Jews, no future fulfillment in Bible prophecy; but that is false, and is just not true. There are a great number of verses about the Jew’s future, particularly from the Old Testament, and some of the charts are primers to help us understand the plans that God has for His chosen people, a remnant of Jews, those physical descendants of Abraham who will be saved at the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. Some  charts depict how God’s working with the Jews is in conjunction with His working with the church. You need to understand that He is working with both Jews and Christians in the end times. Matthew 24, Luke 21, Romans 11, Revelation 7 and Acts 3.

16. Most all charts have two big “arrows”, one pointing to eternity past, and the other to eternity future. These arrows are to help you see that there’s an eternal God who has plans for the future, that He is moving things straight ahead, and that what is going on in the world today isn’t static or circular or haphazard or going in all kinds of directions. God is supremely focused, extremely focused, future focused, and has plans for this world, and for our individual lives. And everything is moving ahead and towards that next major event in the history of our world, the return of Jesus Christ. God has told us clearly what is going to be taking place, and His purposes, plans, predictions and prophecies will not in any way, shape or form be thwarted, changed, compromised, redirected, stopped or altered. Matthew 24:35

17. Most charts have a little man, and in most cases this little man depicts you. One of my goals is for you to see that your life is important, that your life is part of God’s plan, that your life fits in with what God is doing, that your life is not going backwards, is not sitting still, is not going up and down, and is not going in circles. But rather, your life has purpose and direction and is moving straight ahead to the end of your life when you go to heaven and are with the Lord, or to the end of the age when you are raptured, and are taken into heaven and are then with the Lord. It’s not just important but it’s imperative that you believe that God has plans for your life in these days. You must know that your one small life can make a difference in this big world. This means that you need to be part of a church that believes all of God’s Word, teaches all of God’s Word, and is actively doing God’s work right up to the end of the age. Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 28:19-20

18. The charts have vertical lines and these lines usually mark some past or future Biblically prophesied event, or an event in history proving and / or corroborating the prophetic truth of God’s Word. These lines typically illustrate points in time, but when put together, they show chronology and a sequence of events taking place one after another, God ordered events all moving towards the big event, the return of Christ to take up the saints, take out the enemy and take over the world.

19. There are many horizontal lines in the charts. These horizontal lines indicate that some events don’t take place at a point in time, but take place over time, that some events begin and then continue on for a while, whether that’s for a finite period of time, or an infinite period of time.

20. The overall theme of most charts is the coming of Christ, the end times, and how God will bring about His eternal kingdom and His everlasting glory. But there are many charts that speak about some particular theme, some other piece of the puzzle. Here are some examples of some of the specific themes: big picture charts about prophecy, going back in time and going forward in time; end time charts about events taking place at the present time and up to Christ’s return; rapture charts, and what we need to know, and how we should live in view of Christ’s coming; Jewish charts – their history, and God’s future plans for them; judgment charts about God’s wrath on the unbeliever; the millennial and eternal kingdom charts; verse charts – verses related to one main topic, one theme; song charts – verses from songs that speak about the coming of Christ; and world charts – one verse that is relevant to the church in these days.

21. There is much, much overlap and repetition in these charts, but this is good, and needs to be done so that so you can learn, understand and be convinced of prophetic truth.

22. My desire is for these charts to look sharp. I want the charts to be grammatically correct and artistically pleasing. If you see any errars, misspeled words, incorrect Bible references, something of out place, something not   centered , any content you believe is incorrect, please let me know. Most importantly, I want to do that which is Biblical accurate, is true to God’s Word, to the prophetic truth of the Bible about the great future God has for us.

23. These charts are not in any particular order, but have been written and designed as the Holy Spirit has put them on my heart. Please let me know if you think of other charts that are needed, and that would be helpful.

24. Please feel free to print these charts for your own personal use and study, or for your family or church.

Our Lord, Savior and King, Jesus Christ, will be coming back soon! Might we love Him and be faithful to Him, learning what He tells us in His word about the coming of Jesus Christ. Mark 13:23. Might we not be in error concerning this vital and most important subject. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. Might we be encouraging others about the return of Christ, and all the more as we see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25. Might we be like the men of Issachar and understand the times that we are living in, so that we can know what we should do and how we should live. 1 Chronicles 11:32. Might we remember the words of our Lord Jesus, “Behold, I am coming soon.”  And might we be saying, with all our heart and soul, “Come Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20

Article 9

By Steven J. Hogan

The book of Revelation is a must read for all Christians, especially those of us living in the end-times, that time period defined by the second regathering of the Jews to Israel. Over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ was revealed at His first coming as the Savior, the Servant, and the Son of Man. At that time, Jesus lived a perfect life, then He suffered, died and rose again, with a purpose to righteously and mercifully save people from their sin, death and hell. Then Jesus ascended into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, awaiting that day when He will return to this earth. Because we now are living in the end-times, we know that Jesus Christ will soon be revealed again at His second coming, when He will be seen as the Son of God, a holy Judge, a mighty King, and the Lord of lords. Revelation 1:4-8

Christians should be encouraged, excited, and thankful that God has given us this book of Revelation, for it is altogether true, most relevant, very instructive and life-changing. We must not be ambivalent or apathetic about this book, thinking that it’s not that important. Might we read it to learn what God wants us to know and do in these last years of this church age. Indeed, this is the greatest book on prophecy, one that goes into great detail about what is absolutely, and undoubtedly, will take place in the near future. 1 Peter 1:10-16

Let me mention a number of points that we need to understand about this book of Revelation:

1. The book of Revelation reveals to us the character of Jesus Christ, that He is holy and just, loving and merciful, and powerful and sovereign. It reveals to us the person of Christ, that He is the Lord, the Lamb, the Judge and the King. It also reveals to us the work of Christ – His amazing love for the church and for the Jews, and His holy justice upon a wicked world. Revelation 1:12-16

2. The book of Revelation is for the church. This entire book was written to seven churches back in the first century, and it was also written for all churches since that time. But now it is specifically relevant for the churches that exist in the end-times. Why would God give us these seven letters in this great prophetic book if they weren’t vitally important for us to know in these years leading up to Christ’s second coming? Revelation 2-3

3. The book of Revelation focuses on the righteous and the unrighteous. God speaks about the righteous, the angels, the church, and a remnant of Jews. He also speaks about the unrighteous – the unbelievers, and His enemies, Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet. God’s dealings with these spirits and people in the end-times, their inter-working with one another and their effect on the world, is explained in this book.

4. The book of Revelation instructs us about future, end-time events on this earth, and how we should live. God does not want us to be ignorant or surprised by what will be taking place in the days and years to come. This book instructs us to be living pure and holy lives, to be courageous overcomers, to be proclaiming the life-changing gospel, to be teaching the truth, and to be correcting error. This book motivates us to live our lives all out for God. This book encourages us to carry out His plans on earth and to be looking and longing for our Lord and Savior to return to rapture us to heaven. Mark 13:23

5. The book of Revelation brings to a completion God’s Word, but by no means does it speak of the completion of God’s plan for man. It is the end of the Bible, the end of the book, but not the end of the story. We must read it so we can know what God has done, is doing, and what He will do in the future. It is primarily a prophetic book, a predictive book, a book about God’s purposes, and since it is God’s Word, we know that it will come true, it will be fulfilled, and that this prayer will be answered, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

6. The book of Revelation covers three different ages. This book is about the present age, particularly this church age (Revelation 2-19). It is also about the next age, the millennial kingdom age (Revelation 19-20). And it is about the final age, the eternal kingdom age (Revelation 21-22). Most of the Bible is about this present age we live in now (Galatians 1:4, Genesis 3 – Revelation 19), but the book of Revelation is a transition book, taking us from this present age to the millennial kingdom age, which then leads to the eternal kingdom age. Revelation 5:11-14

7. The book of Revelation shows that in the end-times, God’s work with the Jews is converging and coinciding with God’s work in the church. This is seen in Revelation 7, Revelation 10-11, Revelation 12, Revelation 20 and Revelation 21. God’s work with the Jews has, for the most part, been separate from His work with the church, but now in the book of Revelation, it all comes together, and will be most clearly seen during the millennial kingdom. Psalms 67, 72, 102

8. The book of Revelation can be read and understood. Why would God give us Revelation 1:3 – “Blessed is he who reads and those who understand the words of this prophecy, and heed the things written in it,” if you couldn’t comprehend it? Many people, including Christians, say this book is too hard to understand, that it’s too difficult, that it’s too confusing. But might we not stay ignorant, or be in error, and just give up on it. The humble and Spirit-filled Christian can read, study and understand this book. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Through prayer, proper and diligent Bible study, and through good teachers, God will bless your efforts. Might you be a good student of this book, and know it inside and out, and apply it to your life, and then pass it on to others. Now at this time, in the calm before the storm, might you be studying this great and last prophetic book of the Bible. 2 Timothy 2:15

9. The book of Revelation is to be understood in a literal way. There are some who say much of it has already taken place, but that is not true. There are also those who treat it as allegorical, metaphorical or symbolic. They spiritualize it, saying 144,000 Jews doesn’t mean 144,000 Jews, or 1,000 years doesn’t mean 1,000 years, or that 7 trumpets doesn’t mean 7 trumpets. Then tell me, what does it mean? For those who don’t properly interpret this book, there will be at least 101 different meanings this side of heaven. But that’s not true, for there’s only one meaning this side of heaven. Might God help you to discover it. Let me say it this way – God says what He means and means what He says! If He says seven stars are seven angels, then they are seven angels. If He says there will be hail and fire mixed with blood, then there will be hail and fire mixed with blood. If he says “something like a mountain”, then it is not a mountain but it is something like a mountain. This is what we call a “face value hermeneutic” interpreting the passage at face value, in a natural, normal, customary sense. We are to understand what we read in the book of Revelation by taking it literally, at “face value”. This doesn’t mean we ignore obvious figures of speech, but it does eliminate substituting the literal meaning for some underlying and deeper spiritual meaning.

10. The book of Revelation should not be tampered with. That means you are not to add to it, to try to make it say more than it says, or to try to make it mean more than it means. Many people wrongly interpret this book, saying strange and weird things. Don’t be one of them. And don’t be one who subtracts from the book, who takes away the truth, the prophesies, saying that they have already taken place, or that they mean something else. It is unwise, it is unrighteous, and it is a most serious offense to tamper with God’s Word. This is not man’s word, this is God’s Word, so don’t change it in any way, shape or form. Revelation 22:18-19

11. The book of Revelation does not tell us all that is going to happen in the end-times, but only what God wants us to know, and therefore what we need to know. Isn’t this wonderful? Might we be humble, diligent and studious so as to find out what God wants us to know, and what He wants us to do. Mark 13:23, Revelation 1:1-3

12. The book of Revelation is more relevant now than ever before, for we are living in those days shortly before the return of Jesus Christ. Now is the time, as Daniel 12:4 makes clear,  when His prophetic words will no longer be concealed but will be unsealed. It is so encouraging to think that they have been unsealed for those of us living in the 21^st century. Now is the time that it’s beginning to make sense, that it’s coming true right before our very eyes. Might we find out what this book says, and be like the men of Issachar, “men who understood the times, and knew what they should do.” 1 Chronicles 12:32

13. The book of Revelation is supported by many other Scriptures and prophetic passages, particularly ones from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, Matthew 24, Luke 21 and 1-2 Thessalonians. To truly and fully understand the book of Revelation, it is not just helpful, but it is necessary to study these passages, and in particular, the book of Daniel and Matthew 24.

14. The book of Revelation is the concluding book of the Bible, or we could say, the last chapter of the Bible. You all know how important it is to read the last chapter of a book. Without this book, the Bible is incomplete. For example, there was an old heaven and old earth, and in the future there will be a new heaven and new earth. There was the old Adam reigning over earth, and in the future there will be a new Adam reigning over earth. In the past, Adam and Eve were perfect, and in the future all believers will be perfect. So don’t be like some people who read the entire Bible and then skip the book of Revelation. Read and study it, and you will see how the last pieces of the puzzle are fitting together to give you the completed puzzle, the big picture, the future God has planned for His people.

15. The book of Revelation is written chronologically. Revelation 1 is the introduction. Revelation 2-3 is the church age. Revelation 4-5 is the heaven scene. Revelation 6-7 concludes the church age. Revelation 8-9 speaks of God’s judgment on earth, taking us to the end of Daniel’s 70^th week. Revelation 10-14 is parenthetical, describing what takes place during the end-times with regards to the Jews, Christians and Satan. Revelation 15-16 describes God’s judgment on Babylon. Revelation 17-19 is parenthetical, describing Babylon, Satan’s religious, economic and political system in the world. Revelation 20 speaks of Christ’s 1000-year kingdom. Finally Revelation 21-22 speaks about the eternal kingdom of God and Jesus Christ.

The book of Revelation contains many different themes, but the most important themes are the person, character and work of Jesus Christ. Yes, the book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Let me summarize each chapter:

* Revelation 1 introduces Jesus Christ, giving a vivid description of him as Priest, Judge, and King, identifying His role for the rest of the book.

* Revelation 2-3 tells us about the church, the body of Christ, and instructions from Christ to the church as to how they are to live for Him, whether that is in the 1^st century or in the end-imes.

* Revelation 4, the heavenly scene, pictures a holy God, and this sets the stage for the rest of the book, which focuses on the holy justice of God that is carried out by Jesus Christ.

* Revelation 5 is all about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the One to be worshiped, and the only One who can breaks the seals, which then sets in motion the end-time events and the return of Christ.

* Revelation 6 tells us about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, breaking seals 1-6, which are depicting different events that precede the rapture. It is seal six that signals the end of this present evil age.

* Revelation 7, between seals 6 and 7, speaks about both Jews and Christians, the sealing of 144,000 Jews, and then Christ rapturing the church, rescuing her from the wrath to come.

* Revelation 8-9 speaks of Christ breaking seal 7, resulting in the blowing of trumpets 1-6. These trumpets speak of God’s wrath, the Day of the Lord, His judgment of unbelievers on planet earth.

* Revelation 10-11 tells us about Christ’s return to earth for the Jews, the two witnesses for Christ, and the blowing of the 7^th trumpet, at which time the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

* Revelation 12-13 tells us about Satan and the Antichrist, Christ’s enemies, and their war against Him and the Jews and Christians, and Christ’s victory over His enemies.

* Revelation 14 summarizes Christ’s work in the end-times. It speaks of Jesus Christ, the Lamb, with 144,000 redeemed Jews. It tells us about angels preaching the gospel of Christ. It tells us about Christ the reaper, rapturing believers from the earth. It tells us about His judgment of the unbelievers, and how they will be tormented with fire in the presence of Christ.

* Revelation 15-18 speaks of Christ’s judgment, of God’s wrath upon the unbelieving world, specifically on the Antichrist’s kingdom, and on Babylon the Great, which symbolizes Satan’s religious and economic world systems.

* Revelation 19 speaks about the worship of Christ, the wedding of Christ and His bride, and the war of Christ against the Antichrist and His victory over him.

* Revelation 20 tells us about Christ’s 1000 year kingdom, and of Christ’s final judgment upon Satan and all the unbelievers.

* Revelation 21-22 speaks of the new heaven, new earth and new city, of God and Christ’s reign over heaven and earth, their relationship with the believers, and how we will be serving them forever. Three times Christ concludes, “Behold, I am coming soon.”

The book of Revelation describes events that will soon be seen and heard on this earth, and very possibly in our lifetime, if not in our children and grandchildren’s lifetime. Therefore, it is most relevant and important for us to read and understand this prophetic book. The dealings of God and Jesus Christ with the Jews, the church, the unbelievers, and with Satan and the Antichrist, are the main overall themes of this book. The character and purposes of God are powerfully, clearly, vividly and wonderfully described in this book of Revelation. And don’t forget the promise – “Blessed is he who reads and those who understand the words of this prophecy, and heed the things written in it.” Revelation 1:3. Finally, might you say to Jesus, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

Article 8

By Steven J. Hogan

These are tumultuous days, for there’s conflict and terrorism all over the globe, where safety and security are increasingly becoming vital concerns. As we approach the end of this age, it is imperative to take note of ongoing global events, and to know how to process these events in line with God’s prophetic word. What is happening? Why is it happening? Where is it leading to? The correct understanding about world events will not come from politicians, the news media or even religious leaders, but only from the Bible. It is God’s Word that rightly frames the issues, the events, the times we live in, and then instructs us how we are to live. Might we be diligent to know what God tells us will be taking place in these years leading up to the return of His Son, and might we be excitedly living for Him. In Mark 13:23, a prophecy passage, Jesus tells us, “But take heed: behold, I have told you everything in advance.” 1 Chronicles 12:32

My desire is to summarize what God has told us will happen in the end-times, leading up to the end of this present evil age (Galatians 1:4), to the coming of  Christ, and to the end of the next age, Christ’s millennial kingdom. But before I give you a prophetic overview of the future, what God predicts is going to happen in the years ahead, I need to give you an overview of the Biblical and historical past, and events that have led up to this present day.

It was about 2050 BC when God chose Abram to be the father of the Jewish people. He promised him a multitude of descendants and a large and great piece of land – land that stretched from Egypt on the south to Lebanon on the north, from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the Euphrates river on the east. And God also gave him a new name, Abraham. Genesis 15:18-19

Abraham had a son named Isaac, the son according to God’s promise. But he also had a son named Ishmael, a grandson named Esau, and a nephew named Lot. And herein lies much of the problems we see today in the Middle East. The descendants of Isaac are Jews and the descendants of Ishmael, Esau and Lot are for the most part Arabs, and most Arabs believe they are the rightful heirs to this land God had promised to Abraham. But the Bible, and no other book, tells us the truth, that Isaac was the rightful heir. Therein lies this great conflict between the Jews and the Arabs over this piece of property, and for 1000’s of years, there’s been this continual, intense, and at times, bloody conflict between these two groups. Genesis 16:11-12, Psalm 83

Now Isaac had a son named Jacob, and Jacob had a son named Joseph. But due to some extremely difficult, but providential circumstances, Joseph settled in Egypt, and eventually his whole family came there to live. To make a long story short, over a period of about 400 years, Joseph’s family of 75 grew to a family of over two million people. Acts 7:11-40, Nehemiah 9

It was about 1400BC, and the time came for God to bring His people to the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through many miracles, signs and wonders, God used Moses to deliver the Israelites out of slavery, out of Egypt, and then into the desert, where they lived for 40 years. But it was Joshua who was God’s man to lead the Jews out of the desert and into the promised land. Exodus, Joshua

Then for about 340 years, God raised up Judges to rule over rebellious Israel, and to deliver them from their enemies. After the Judges, God raised up Samuel, then Saul, and then a king named David, who helped Israel become the most powerful nation in the world at that time. Then God made an amazing promise to David, that one of his own descendants would be the future and eternal king over the entire world. This promise, referring to the Messiah, to Jesus Christ Himself, would not come true at Christ’s 1st coming but at His 2nd coming. 2 Samuel 7:12-17, Psalm 89

As time went on, the Israelites kept rejecting God, worshiping idols and other man-made gods. And God was righteously angry, but yet was very, very patient with them over the years. But there came the time when God had enough. His holiness and justice prevailed, and He rightfully rejected them, and punished them by bringing Israel’s enemies, the Assyrians and Babylonians into their own land to judge them. The books of the Prophets summarize this 350 year period of sin and rebellion by the Jews, and of God’s holy wrath, His punishment upon them.

Many Jews were exiled at that time, but one person who was taken to the Babylonian kingdom was a teenager named Daniel, and he was a godly man, a wise leader, and an interpreter of dreams. To summarize, these dreams spoke of the short-lived kingdoms of men, and the eternal kingdom of God. As time went on, Daniel predicted many things concerning these future kingdoms, and particularly and most importantly some things relevant to the nature of the world in the “time of the end”, that time period, relevant to both Jews and Christians, leading up to the return of the Messiah, the coming of Christ. Daniel 12:4, 9

One very important prediction was found in Daniel 9 in which Daniel prophesied that there would be exactly 490 years of judgment upon Israel for their sin. But after 483 years, the one who was to be the future ruler and King of the world, this coming Messiah, the one called Jesus Christ, would be killed. Daniel also predicted that at the beginning of the last 7 years there would arise a cruel and powerful ruler who would confirm a peace treaty with Israel. This ungodly ruler, this “little horn”, would come to be known as the Antichrist. He would lead this mighty multi-nation kingdom that would be the power base by which he, as a global leader and evil dictator, would rule the entire world. Daniel 7

About 550 years after Daniel, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, became the Son of man. This descendant of David literally came to earth, being born of the virgin Mary, and God became Man. This Jesus lived a perfect life, loving people, teaching people, healing people, casting out demons, and encouraging people to repent of their sins and believe in Him, so as to receive forgiveness of their sins and eternal life. Mark 1:15, John 5:24

But for God to spiritually pardon us of our sins and give us eternal life, Jesus Christ had to die on the cross. And it was on the cross that Christ took our sins upon Himself, thereby paying the penalty that we should have paid. Jesus Christ died in our place and God punished Him, His own Son, instead of punishing us ( Romans 3:23, 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 3:16, John 5:24, 1 Peter 3:18). Three days after Jesus died, God miraculously raised Him from the dead and gave Him a glorified and immortal body. Jesus then appeared to His disciples, continuing to teach them, and finally commissioning them to go make disciples of all the nations until the end of this age. Then Jesus ascended into heaven to be with His Father, where He is now reigning with Him and building His church on this earth (Matthew 28:19-20). After Jesus’ departure, His disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and became powerful witnesses and preachers of the life of Jesus Christ and the truth of His gospel.

The church age started, but God was not nullifying, but only suspending His promises and plans for the Jews. It was in 70 AD, according to Jesus’ predictions in Luke 19, 21, and 23, that God again was punishing the Jews for their rejection of Him, and specifically of Jesus Christ. This time the wrath of God was being carried out by the Romans, and subsequently the Israelites were scattered to cities and countries all over the world. During this time the church was rapidly growing and being greatly persecuted. And through all the years up until this 21st century, the church has continued to grow, being built by Jesus Christ, Himself. Yes, it has been attacked by the devil but God has continually been faithful to build His church. Then there were the Jews, trampled upon and scattered and suffering and being killed all over the world, with the worst coming in the middle of the 20th century. It was the tragedy of all tragedies, the terror of all terrors, when during World War II, Adolph Hitler and his evil and diabolical regime mercilessly and systematically killed over 6,000,000 Jews. Luke 21:20-28

God used this terrible tragedy to move in the hearts of world leaders; and miracle of miracles, in 1948, God gave back to the Jewish people their own country. God’s promise, God’s prediction from 2500 years before this time finally came true (Ezekiel 37:21). Jewish people from all over the world, from the United States, South America, Europe, Russia and Africa, had been moving back to their land, to Palestine, since the late 1800’s. Then in 1948 they officially became the nation of Israel.  Amazingly and miraculously they retained their unique identity, language, culture and religion, and now at this time, in 2020, there are close to 6.6 million Jews in the land of Israel. In spite of much opposition from neighboring Arab countries since that time, the Jews have physically and wonderfully restored and rejuvenated the land so that the nation of Israel is once again a very prosperous country. Ezekiel 36-37, Isaiah 11

The fact that the Jews are back in Israel is the single major event, I repeat, the single major event that tells us that we are in the end-times, that time period predicted by Daniel, that leads us to the return of Jesus Christ. But what does the Bible predict will take place before the end of this age? More specifically what is the next major prophetic event to take place before the coming of Christ and the resurrection and rapture of the Christians? Remember Daniel’s prophecy of 490 years of judgment for the Jews? Well, 483 years have already passed and the last week, Daniel’s 70^th week is still to come. There are seven years in this one last week that relate directly to these end times, seven, long, critical and difficult years that have not yet begun. But they will begin, and prophecy will be fulfilled, and then they will end, and Christ will begin His reign over this world. Daniel 9:24

This 70th week will be a 7-year period of time in which the spiritual forces of God and the spiritual forces of the devil will battle each other like never before, but as we know, the devil will be no match for God. It will be both a time of great salvation and a time of great judgment. It will be a time when we  witness the coming of the Antichrist and then the coming of Christ. It will be that time when the Lord’s prayer and our prayers are finally answered,“Thy kingdom come, thy will is now being done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10, 2 Thessalonians 2

Let me specifically point out to you some of the major events of this 7 year time period:  The peace treaty that was predicted in Daniel 9:27, or as Isaiah calls it, the “Covenant of Death” (Isaiah 28:15), will be signed. There are a number of things to know about this treaty. It is the next major event on the prophetic calendar that needs to take place. It will be signed at the very beginning of this 7-year time period spoken of by Daniel. It will be confirmed or signed by an individual who will later be revealed as the Antichrist. It will be needed in the Mideast. In fact, at this time it is obvious that there is tension and conflict between Israel and surrounding nations surrounding them. This treaty will be the answer that many people and leaders of the world will be looking for, but remember, it is man-made.

One of the conditions of this treaty will most likely be that the Jews will be able to rebuild their temple, and once again offer their Jewish prescribed sacrifices. This treaty will result in only a temporary and pseudo peace for the Jews, for the Jews will not be trusting in God, but will be putting their hope in a man, and in a very bad man, for one of the initiators of this treaty will later be revealed as the Antichrist. This treaty is destined not to work, and as we will see, it will soon be broken. After this peace treaty is signed, a number of events will occur on this earth in rapid succession. They are spoken of in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 and Revelation 6. These events, though all happening in the world at this time, will continue to increase in both intensity and frequency. There will be more false christs, more wars, more earthquakes, more famines and more plagues around the world. In addition to all this, there will be major global economic problems. Matthew 24 tells us that these events, like the birth pains of a mother, will come quicker and quicker, becoming stronger and stronger, and millions of people will be dying. But during this time, there will also be the formation of a 10-nation empire, the Antichrist being the ruler of this kingdom of man, this power base by which he will rule the world. Daniel 7

This will be a most anxious, disturbing, unsettling and conflicting time in the world. With our advanced communication system, with TV, internet and smart phones, we’ll know a lot of what is going on around the world; we’ll be hearing about it and watching it, for it will be brought home to us loud and clear. Yes, artificial intelligence may make us look smart in this world, but the intelligence, the wisdom to bring peace, where can that be found? I must say, these first few years of Daniel’s 70th week will be a very difficult time to be alive. Don’t you think that people will be looking and longing for some type of savior to lead them out of the mess that the world is in? Don’t you think that conditions on the earth will be ripe for a sharp and smart dictator who they hope will deliver them from the problems in the world? You bet they will.

The next major event, taking place at the midpoint, at the 3½ year point of this 7-year period is when the Antichrist desecrates the Jewish temple (Daniel 9, Matthew 24). Both Jews and Christians will know for certain the identity of this one we call the Antichrist. Then this most wicked man, this Antichrist, this anti-Christian man, this beast, this man of lawlessness, will begin great tribulation against the Jews in Israel, which then spreads out against Jews and Christians all over the world. This time of great tribulation will be without question the greatest persecution Jews or Christians have ever encountered and experienced on this earth. Revelation 12:17

But the unbelievers won’t know the Antichrist’s true nature, that he is filled with the devil himself. They will be greatly deceived. They will be in awe of this new leader and more than willing to follow him. And they’re happy, for he’s bringing peace, the economy is getting better, and he is getting rid of those despicable Jews and Christians. But these unbelievers are led astray by this powerful and charismatic leader and by his partner, the man called the false prophet, the man who will do many amazing miracles. The false prophet will use these miracles to authenticate the purpose, position and power of the Antichrist, his purpose being to deceive, to fake out the people of the world.

It is at the midpoint of this seven-year period that the Antichrist consolidates his control over the world. It is at this time that the unbelievers will be worshiping the Antichrist through an image, probably through the internet and smart phones. They will also be swearing allegiance to this beast by taking his mark, called the mark of the beast, which when placed on, or embedded in a person’s hand or forehead, will be the only way a person can do business, to either buy or sell. What is so amazing is that the technology the Antichrist will need to do this is very likely now or very close to being developed and ready for use. Revelation 13

Please understand that this Antichrist, this world dictator, will be a very wicked man. He will be in charge of the world militarily, politically, economically and spiritually. At this time all religions will have been abolished, and it will be the religion of the Antichrist, for he alone, the devil’s man on earth, will be worshiped. But the true Christians and a remnant of Jews will not take this mark and will not worship the Antichrist, and many will then be persecuted for their refusal to do so.

Then suddenly, sometime during the last half of this 7-year period, at an unknown time to us, there will be a great earthquake, and great signs in the heavens, for the sun will turn black and the moon will turn red. Then there will be a great and brilliant light in the skies, this being the Shekinah glory of Christ. This is immediately followed by the shout of Christ heard round the world, then a loud trumpet blast and then a supersonic command given by an angel.

At this time, Jesus Christ returns in the clouds and is visibly seen all over the world. The dead in Christ, those who have previously died, will be resurrected. Immediately after that, the Christians still on earth will be raptured, gaining relief from great tribulation, being rescued from God’s wrath that will be poured out on the earth, and caught up together with the just resurrected believers. All believers from all time and from all over the world, will then suddenly be glorified and then gathered together and taken to with Christ, and then from there to heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

Shortly after the rapture, and in fact, exactly 30 minutes later (Revelation 8:1), God will judge the unbelievers on earth, pouring out His wrath on them. This time period is called the Day of the Lord, His righteous wrath on earth. But just before this, God had supernaturally sealed 144,000 Jews, for His desire is to physically protect these Jews during this time of judgment on earth. It will be at the end of Daniel’s 70th week that these Jews, along with another remnant of Jews, will be redeemed, spiritually saved, and they will all be with Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. Daniel 9:24

The first part of the Day of the Lord, God’s judgment on earth, is given in Revelation 8-9, and this speaks of six separate trumpet judgments. It is marked by fire, darkness and destruction, and by demonized locusts inflicting five months of pain and torture on every person on the earth. But the worst judgment is the sixth judgment, when 1/3 of the people in the world are suddenly and righteously killed. Then these trumpet judgments are finished, marking the end of the 7-year period spoken of by Daniel. Then this great number of Jews who have physically been saved from God’s wrath are now spiritually saved. They recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and they repent of their sins, believe in Him for mercy, and begin to worship Him. Romans 11:26-27, Isaiah 53

But Christ is not yet done with His judgments of the people and nations of the earth, and it is Revelation 16 that tells us about the next set of judgments, the bowl judgments. Painful sores break out on people, water is turned to blood, fire is scorching the people, and total darkness covers the land. Can you imagine what this is like? Then God’s enemies are gathered to a place called Armageddon in Israel. It’s there that the Antichrist and his armies are finally and completely defeated by Christ and His heavenly armies. Then, the Antichrist and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire, where they will never die, but will forever be separated from God and His glory, and forever tormented for their terrible sins against a holy God. Hallelujah!

It is at this time that Christ’s enemies are now completely gone from earth, and so begins His reign on the earth during what is called the millennial kingdom. He will rule with a rod of iron. He will bring justice to every square inch of this planet. He will continually display true wisdom, mercy and love. There will be “peace on earth, good will towards men,” the most wonderful and prosperous time on earth since the beginning days of Adam and Eve. Genesis 1-2; Psalms 47, 67, 72

Even then, not all the people will bow to Christ. In fact, at the end of this 1000 years, Satan will be let loose and will deceive many people on the earth. But God will quickly capture this devil, and cast him into the lake of fire. Then there will be the most sobering time in all of human history, the great white throne judgment. All unbelievers from all time will be gathered together before the Lord Jesus Christ, the most holy and honorable Judge in the entire universe. There they will be judged for all their sins, declared guilty and worthy of eternal judgment, and they will be thrown into the lake of fire, where they will be forever, painfully and deservedly punished for their sinful crimes against a holy and just God. Revelation 20

Indeed, Jesus Christ is coming back soon to take up the saints, take out His enemies, and take over the world. But if you are to understand the truth of Christ’s second coming then it is essential that you understand the truth of Christ’s first coming. You need to know why Christ came the first time, that He came to die, to be crucified on the cross, to be punished by His Father for the sins of man. Have you repented of your sins? Do you believe that Jesus Christ died for you? Do you know that your sins are forgiven? Do you know if you have eternal life, an everlasting relationship with God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit? To be honest, the main issue is not what is going to happen to the world, but what is going to happen to you? When Jesus Christ comes back, will you go to be with Him, and then go up to heaven, or will you stay on this earth and be inundated by God’s punishing wrath? Will you be in Hades, a most terrible, terrifying and painful holding place for 1000 years, awaiting final judgement? And will you then face Jesus Christ at the great white throne judgment with nothing to say to Him, except “I am guilty Your Honor,” and then be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity?

The most serious issue in your life is whether you will pay for your sins by being punished forever in hell, or whether you will repent of your sins and believe that Jesus Christ died in your place, being punished for your sins.. If you have not yet been saved, then may today be the day of your salvation. Turn from your sins, sincerely telling God that you are sorry that you sinned against him, and admitting to Him that you have rebelled against Him. Believe that God loved you by having His own Son, Jesus Christ, die for all your sins, and that the debt you owed God for your sin was paid in full by Christ. Do not trust in yourself or in anything you have done, but place your trust fully and only in Jesus Christ for salvation, for forgiveness, for eternal fellowship with God and Christ, and for your future in heaven, and on earth, with Him and all the other angels and saints. Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Peter 3:18

Article 7

By Steve J. Hogan

On this earth most of us don’t think about heaven like we should; but we need to think about it because it is our future. We are on this earth for only a few short years, and then we are in heaven, and on earth, for all eternity, forever and ever and ever. Heaven, and heaven on earth, is our future, and it is our hope, and it is what we should be hoping for and looking forward to and praying about.

Heaven is what we need to think about when our loved ones in the Lord pass away, for we know they are in the best place possible, with God and Jesus Christ and others who have gone before them. We know that they are completely free from sin and sadness, that they have no more pain, sorrow or troubles. We know they are exceedingly happy and joyful, and always at peace. We know they are perfectly praising the Lord, loving Him all the time, and that they are wonderfully enjoying the fellowship and love of other believers.

But for us still on earth, this is our hope, and speaks of that time when we will see God and Jesus Christ on Their thrones, when They will be glorified, when we will glorify Them, serve Them, and love Them. Not only that but we will be enjoying the pleasures of God and of heaven forever and ever. I encourage you to go over these verses, to pray about them, to think about them, and to be excited about the great future that God has for each one of us. From this earth we will soon go to heaven to be with our Lord and Savior, and our King and Friend.

Numbers 20:24 – “Aaron will be gathered to his people.”

Psalm 16:11 – “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 73:24-26 – “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Psalm 84:1, 2, 4, 10 – “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my flesh and my heart cry out for the living God… Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you…Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”

Psalm 86:11 – “Great is your love toward me, for you have delivered my soul from the depths of the grave.”

Psalm 116:15 – “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

Job 14:5 – “Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months, and have set limits that he cannot exceed.”

Job 19:25-27 – “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes.”

Isaiah 57:1-2 – “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”

Luke 23:43 – “He said to her, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in paradise.’ ”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 5:24 – “He who hears My words and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

John 11:25-26 – “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live even if he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ”

John 17:24 – “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given me, be with Me where I am, so they may see My glory which you have given Me, for you loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

John 14:2-3 – “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may also be.”

2 Corinthians 4:17 – “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.”

Romans 8:18, 23 – “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us… Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

Romans 8:29 – “Those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 – “So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.”

1 Corinthians 15:53-54 – “The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ”

2 Corinthians 5:1, 8 – “If this earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands…. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

Ephesians 2:6-7 – “God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace expressed in His kindness in Christ.”

Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know. I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.”

Colossians 1:3 – “We give thanks to God for you…praying always for you… because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.”

Colossians 3:4 – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

Philippians 3:20 – “Our citizenship is in heaven. We eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 – “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

2 Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. Now 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 loved His appearing.”

2 Timothy 4:18 – “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly Kingdom.”

Hebrews 11:10, 16 – “He was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God… But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 12:22 – “You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the city of the living God. You have come to thousands and thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.”

1 Peter 1:3-4 – “In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you.”

1 John 3:3 – “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known to us. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Jude 24-25 – “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior, be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Christ our Lord.”

Revelation 4:2 – “Behold a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance…. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder… And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and because of Your will they exited and were created.’ ”

Revelation 5:13 – “Every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.’ ”

Revelation 7:15 – “They serve Him day and night in His temple…Never again will they hunger or thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. The Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 20:6 – “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

Revelation 21:3-7 – “The dwelling of God is with men and He will live with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be His God, and he will be my son.”

Revelation 21:10-12 – “He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone of crystal clear jasper. It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and the at the gates twelve angels.”

Revelation 21:22 – “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.”

Revelation 22:12 – “Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

Article 6 

By Steven J. Hogan

It is absolutely astounding how many verses there are in the New Testament about the second coming of Jesus Christ. The sheer volume of these verses helps us realize the extreme importance of this subject, particularly to those who are living in the end times. The focus of these verses relates directly to that day and time when Christ appears and is revealed – they are not about what happens before or what comes after that day. They tell us what is going to happen, why it is to happen, how we are to live, and about when it is going to happen. God wants us to know the truth about the return of His Son because it is needed, relevant, encouraging, and life changing. If we are to be ready for His return, and if we are to be rightly serving Him when He comes back, then we must know these things.

Here are the 100 + verses:

Matthew 10:21-22 – “Children will rebel against parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”   

Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done.”

Matthew 24:3 – “What will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:27 – “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

Matthew 24:30-31 – “They 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 trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the others.”

Matthew 24:36-37 – “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

Matthew 24:42, 44 – “Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… Be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour that you do not expect.”

Mark 12:25 – “When they rise from the dead, they neither marry or are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven.”

Mark 13:27 – “And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.”

Mark 13:32-33 – “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you to do not know when the appointed time will come.”

Luke 12:37 – “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when He comes. I tell you the truth, He will dress Himself to serve… and He will wait on them.”

Luke 12:40 – “You must be ready for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

Luke 17:29-30 – “The day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”

Luke 17:34-36 – “I tell you. On that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”

Luke 18:8 – “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

Luke 21:28 – “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

John 5:28-29 – “All who are in tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did  the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”

John 6:40 – “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 14:3 – “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”

Acts 1:11 – “Men of Galilee,…, 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 taken into heaven.”

Acts 3:19-20 – “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”

Romans 8:23 – “Having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

Romans 8:30 – “And these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Romans 13:11-12 – “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us then when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

1 Corinthians 1:7-8 – “…as you eagerly wait for the Lord Jesus to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 11:26 – “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

1 Corinthians 15:22-23 – “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in His own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

1 Corinthian 15:51 – “Listen, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed.”

2 Corinthians 4:14 – “We know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus, and present us with you in His presence.”

Ephesians 1:13-14 – “You were sealed in Him with a Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Ephesians 4:30 – “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:10 – “So that you may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Philippians 2:16 – “…as you hold out the word of life – in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.”

Philippians 3:20 – “Our citizenship is in heaven. We eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”

Colossians 3:4 – “When Christ appears then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

1 Thessalonians 1:10 – “You turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead – Jesus who rescues you from the coming wrath.”

1 Thessalonians 2:19 – “What is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes – is it not you?”

1 Thessalonians 3:3 – “May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of God when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones?”

1 Thessalonians 4:15 – “We tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – “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 5:2, 4 – “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night…But you brothers are not in surprise.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9 – “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 1:7 – “To give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels.”

2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 – “They will be punished with everlasting destruction… on the day when He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.”

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 – “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you brothers, to not become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy…do not let anyone deceive you in any way for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.”

2 Thessalonians 2:8 – “Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming.”

1 Timothy 6:13-14 – “I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in His own time.”

2 Timothy 4:1-2 – “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and Kingdom, preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season…”

2 Timothy 4:8 – “Now 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 also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Titus 2:13 – “While we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness.”

Hebrews 9:27-28 – “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 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.”

Hebrews 10:25 – “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:37 – “In just a very little while, He who is coming, will come and will not delay.”

James 5:7-8 – “Be patient then brothers until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

1 Peter 1:5 – “Who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

1 Peter 1:7 – “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold…, may be found to result in praise and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:10-11 – “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

1 Peter 1:13 – “Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:16 – “Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Christ is revealed”

1 Peter 4:13 – “But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”

1 Peter 5:4 – “When the chief Shepherd appears you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

2 Peter 1:19 – “We have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart.”

2 Peter 3:3-4 – “You must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this coming He promised?’”

2 Peter 3:11-12 – “Since everything will be destroyed in this way what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.”

1 John 2:28 – “And now dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.”

1 John 3:2-3 – “But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”

Revelation 1:7 – “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the people of the earth will mourn because of Him.”

Revelation 2:25-26 – “Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes,  and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.”

Revelation 3:3 – “So remember what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. 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.”

Revelation 7:9 -“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.”

Revelation 22:7 -“Behold I am coming soon! Blessed is He who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Revelation 22:12 – “Behold I am coming soon. My reward is with me, and I will  give to everyone according to what He has done.”

Revelation 22:20 – “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

Isn’t this an amazing set of verses about Christ’s second coming, verses that relate directly to that day and time when Christ appears and is revealed? They are instructive, encouraging, sobering, motivating and altogether true. They focus specifically on Christ’s return, and tell us how He will relieve us from tribulation, rescue us from wrath, redeem us from this earth, rapture us into heaven, resurrect us into glory, reunite us with believers who have gone on before us, and many other important aspects. Yet, there are hundreds more verses that give us more specific details about Christ’s return.

As you know we have but a few verses on baptism, and a few verses on communion, and we believe them, knowing that they are true, and that we should carry them out in our churches. But with 100 + verses on Christ’s second coming and 100’s more on many other aspects of His coming, should we not believe them, and know they are true, and make application of them to our churches? Yes, yes, a resounding yes! And especially in view of the fact that we live in the end times. Now is the time to focus on the truth of the second coming because Jesus Christ is coming very soon.

Know well the truth of Christ’s appearing so that you will be awake, alert and excited. In these days you want to be loving and serving the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Indeed, Christ is coming soon, and then we will be with Him and with one another forever and ever. “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father – to Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. Look, He is coming with the clouds…So shall it be. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-7

Article 5 

By Steven J. Hogan

You watch the news and hear about wars, earthquakes, plagues, famines and economic problems, and it is very distressing, and you are hoping it all goes away. But these things, these “birth pains”, as they are called in Matthew 24:4-8, aren’t going to go away, not yet anyway. Conditions in the world will get worse and worse. Then suddenly Jesus Christ will return, and He will take up the Christians, take out the enemy and take over the world. “They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21:27, Revelation 6:1-8

We are now living in the end-times, and the reason we know this is because the Jews have been regathering to their homeland of Israel. We’re getting closer and closer to the end of this present evil age, that time period just before Christ’s second coming and the rapture of the church. On the night before Jesus Christ died, He told His disciples what would happen before He came again; and many of these things are now taking place in our lifetime. We should be very excited and thankful that we can be living in these days leading up to Christ’s return. Ezekiel 36-37, Mark 13:21 –“So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.” Hebrews 10:25 – “Encourage one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.” Matthew 24:3-14

What can we expect to take place before Christ’s second coming, before we are raptured into heaven, and God judges the world? As I mentioned, there will be more and more wars, earthquakes, plagues, famines, economic problems, and death. But what else? Wars will continue, nations will be taken over, and new alliances will be made. People will increasingly be desiring world unity, and yearning for a ruler who will bring world peace. Anti-semitism will greatly increase, and Mideast tensions will boil over. Then, at the beginning of Daniel’s 70^th week there will be a seeming breakthrough – this “peace treaty” between Israel and other nations. Finally, the Jews will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and once again offer sacrifices. But this peace will prove to be a “fake peace.” Daniel 9:27, Luke 21:24, 2 Thessalonians 2:4-12

The world will continue to grow more lawless and wicked. “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” People will  be sinning all the more, but the gospel, God’s answer to man’s problem of sin, will be proclaimed to the entire world, and Christ’s command will be carried out: “Go and make disciples of all the nations…and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Matthew 24:12, 28:19-20; Ezekiel 38:1-6; Daniel 7:23-24

Then the Antichrist rises to power. It is the midpoint of this 70^th week of Daniel. True Christians and discerning Jews will know that this man who desolates the temple in Jerusalem is the devil’s man, the beast, the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist. With great charm, eloquence and power, this most wicked man will deceive the unbelievers in the world, and they will worship him. To help carry out the Antichrist’s plan to control the world, his partner, the false prophet,will do great miracles, and using the latest technology, force people to worship the image of this Antichrist and to take his mark; and his number is 666. Then it will “seem” to be a time of relative peace for the unbelievers, for they will be buying and selling, eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and being given in marriage. “As it was in the days of Noah so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:37, Revelation 13, 2 Thessalonians 2:3

Christians will be hated and betrayed, even by their own family members, and many will be martyred for their faith. There are some who think Christians will have been raptured by this time, but this is not true, for that is not what the Word of God tells us. Christians have always suffered, but when the Antichrist comes there will be great suffering and persecution all over the world, even here in the United States. The rapture is pre-wrath, but not pre-tribulational. “In this world you will have tribulation.” John 15:33. “The beast (Antichrist) was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them.” Revelation 13:7. “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.” Revelation 2:10

Jesus Christ will then rapture His church sometime during the last half of Daniel’s 70^th week, but we don’t know the day or the hour. This great tribulation will suddenly be cut short by Jesus Christ. There will be signs in the heavens and the skies will grow dark, and then Christ will return in the clouds, His brilliant Shekinah glory lighting up the skies. Christ will give a loud command, the trumpet will sound, and Christ will rescue His bride, snatching her from the earth and taking her to heaven, so that she can live with Him forever. Matthew 24:27, 29-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

How about you? Will you be left behind and face the great judgment of God on earth? Or will you be taken to heaven when Christ returns? Please understand the truth of Christ’s 1^st coming, that He came to save sinners! Please understand the truth of Christ’s 2^nd coming, that He is returning to rapture the Christians who received His mercy; and then judge those who rejected His offer for mercy! Don’t be left behind and face the wrath of God on earth, and then the wrath of God in hell, where God will show no mercy! “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming, will come, and will not delay.” Hebrews 10:31, 37

If you’re not sure about your future, if you don’t know Jesus Christ and think you might be left behind, then know that it’s not too late to get right with God. Now is the day of salvation, the day of mercy, the time to wake up, the time to turn from your pride, selfishness, greed, idolatry and impurity, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive God’s great mercy. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” John 5:24, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-13

Repent of your sins, and believe that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for your sins and then rose again, gaining victory over sin, Satan and death. Call out to God to save you, and trust in Christ alone for the mercy He wants to freely give you. Then you will become a child of God, be forgiven of all your sins, receive eternal life, begin to experience God’s great love, and begin your eternal journey of worshiping and serving Him. Someday God’s purpose for your life on earth will be over, and either you will die and go to heaven, or you will be raptured into heaven. Romans 5:8 – “God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 John 3:1-3, 1 John 4:16

What’s next? What is God’s plan after the Christians are raptured and Christ judges the earth? At the end of Daniel’s 70th week, a great number of Jews will be spiritually saved, and then Jesus Christ will begin His 1000 year reign on earth. He will rule from Jerusalem with the glorified believers and the just-redeemed Jews, who at this time will be living with Christ in Israel. This millennial kingdom of Christ, an immense and wonderful subject in the Old Testament, will be a most magnificent period of time as we work with and serve Jesus Christ, witnessing His great power, holiness, love, mercy and glory. You don’t want to miss it! Be saved and you will be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever and ever! Isaiah 2, 4, 11, 12, 40-66; Psalms 2, 37, 47, 48, 67, 72, 102, 117; Romans 11:27

Don’t be naïve, misinformed, confused or in error! The devil has told many lies about these important subjects. Please understand the truth of Jesus Christ’s 1^st coming, that salvation is through Him alone, and the truth of Christ’s 2^nd coming, that He is coming back to take up the saints, take out the enemy and take over the world. “Do not let anyone deceive you in any way.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, Matthew 24:4, Hebrews 9:27-28

If you are a Christian, then how should you live in these days leading up to Christ’s return? Read your Bible. Don’t be worldly. Love God and live all out for Him. Have faith in God. Put your hope in Christ. Be faithful and do God’s work. Love the Christians. Tell others how Christ can save them from their sins. Be in a church that clearly and passionately preaches the gospel and teaches God’s Word, including the truth of Christ’s 2^nd coming. Persevere to the end. And remember, God is sovereign, and now, as always, He’s working out all things, and working through all people to fulfill His purposes, and to bring us to that point when Jesus Christ will come back to take us home, judge this world, and begin His 1000 year reign on earth. Ephesians 1:9-14, Hebrews 9:27, 1 Peter 1:13, Revelation 22:20 – “‘I am coming soon.’ Amen, come Lord Jesus.”

Article 4

By Steven J. Hogan

The most important event in the history of our world was the 1^st coming of Jesus Christ, which included His birth, three years of ministry, His death and resurrection. This took place about 2000 years ago. The next most important event is the 2^nd coming of Christ, and this is going to happen soon, and could even take place in our lifetime. Let me ask you a question: are you ready for Christ’s return, for the return of the King? Luke 12:35 – “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.” Luke 12:40 – “You too be ready.”

There are a number of verses that tell us that Jesus Christ is coming back: Matthew 24:27 – “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Luke 17:29-30 – “But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.” John 14:3 – “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Acts 1:11 – “Men of Galilee,… why do you stand 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.” Romans 11:25-26 – “All Israel will be saved, just as it is written, ‘the Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.’ This is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 – “as you eagerly wait for the Lord Jesus to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Hebrews 9:27 – “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.” 1 Thessalonians 1:10 – “You turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven,…, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 – “They will be punished with everlasting destruction…on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people, and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8 – “Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming.” Titus 2:13-14 – “while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, who gave Himself to redeem us from all wickedness.” 1 Peter 1:16 – “Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Revelation 1:7 – “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.” Revelation 22:12 – “Behold, I am coming soon. My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

These are just some of the many verses that speak about the Lord’s return. But why has  God given us so much information about the return of His Son. Let me share some reasons. He wants to impress upon us the importance of this momentous, cataclysmic, life changing, earth shaking, altogether holy and God glorifying event. He wants us to know specific things that are going to take place so we are not caught off guard, so we are ready for what will happen, and so we don’t get discouraged. He wants us to be looking forward to what will be happening. He wants us to be obedient to Him, helping to fulfill His purposes during the last days of this church age. He also wants us to know that the initial events of Christ’s coming will bridge this present age to the next age, the Millennial Kingdom age. Our focus isn’t just to be on His return and the rapture, but what is going to take place after this, the reign of Christ on earth, and world peace, but most importantly, the glory of God on earth like we have never seen before. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.” Habakkuk 2:14

Jesus Christ has promised us that He will come back; and He will keep His Word. But why is Jesus Christ coming back? What does God tell us?
1. Christ is coming back so that you can be with Him. He loves you more than you realize and He can’t wait to see you and be with you, and for you to see Him and be with Him, and to know and love Him like never before. John 14:1-3
2. Christ is coming back to take you home to heaven, to this wonderful, most beautiful and perfect place, to this heavenly home that He has prepared for you. You cannot imagine how good, how great, how special it will be, to be in heaven, and on the new earth, with the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 21
3. Christ is coming back to change you, to get you out of your mortal, weak and sinful body, and to give you a brand new, powerful, immortal, glorified and spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
4. Christ is coming back to rescue you from His wrath that will be poured out upon this entire earth at the end of this age. He will punish all unbelievers who are still living on earth at the time of His return, ones who have rejected Him and His offer of mercy. This wrath, this punishment, vividly described in Revelation 8-9, 16 will be painful, tortuous and rightly deserved. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
5. Christ is coming back to destroy his chief enemy on earth, the Antichrist. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9
6. Christ is coming back to reward you for all your labor, all your work for Him. Don’t ever forget that working wholeheartedly for the Lord is infinitely and eternally worth it. 1 Corinthians 15:58
7. Christ is coming back to complete His work, to fulfill His promises to the Jews, to save a great number of them at the end of what is called the 70^th week of Daniel. Isaiah 45:17
8. Christ is coming back so that He can begin His reign over this earth. The Kingdom the Jews desired at Christ’s first coming will finally be realized at Christ’s second coming, and then, Christ as the King, will rule and reign for a thousand years over this earth. Revelation 20
9. Christ is coming back to be praised and worshiped, for every eye will see Him, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord, the King of heaven and earth. Revelation 5:11-14

Jesus Christ is also coming back because His character demands it. He is coming back to this earth because He is holy and there needs to be justice, and because He is loving and He wants to show His love and kindness to those who are believers, and because He is faithful – faithful to His Father, faithful to His promises, faithful to His prophetic Word, and faithful to His people.

But when is Christ coming back? Some people say that God doesn’t want you to know when Christ is coming back, but that’s not true. The verses in Matthew 24:32-41 tell us that we won’t know the day or hour of Christ’s return, but they do tell us that we can know the general time of His return. You can’t know the specific time, but you can know the general time of Christ’s coming. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us that Christians will be able to see and know that the day of the Christ’s return is getting closer and closer. God doesn’t want you to be in the dark – He wants you to know that the day of His return is getting closer, and He wants you to be ready and waiting for Him.

Matthew 24:3. The disciples ask Jesus this question about when He’s coming back. They wanted some visible signs that would let them know that the time was getting close. Now Jesus could have told them that they didn’t need to know, and that it wasn’t important to know. But He didn’t do that. He told them a number of specific things that would be taking place in the years and months before His coming. And other portions of the Bible tell us many other things that will be taking place before Christ’s return. Indeed, God does not want us to be asleep, but to be aware and alert to the fact that His Son’s return is getting closer. Let me briefly mention some of these things that have been taking place that indicate that Christ is coming soon:
1. The Jews have been regathering back to their land since the late 1800’s, an amazing and miraculous fulfillment of God’s prophetic word. This is the number one reason that we know we are in the end times. Ezekiel 36-37, Isaiah 11:11-12
2. The Jewish people took over Jerusalem in 1967. Daniel 9:24
3. Wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilence, and economic hardship have been taking place all over the world, and will continue to take place with increasing frequency and intensity in the time leading up to Christ’s return. Matthew 24:4-8, Revelation 6:1-8
4. The alignment of particular nations is now taking place as predicted in the Bible. The United States is going down in power, allowing for European / Mideast powers to rise up, from which the Antichrist will come, along with a 10 nation confederacy that is spoken of in Daniel 7:23-24 and Revelation 17:12-13.
5. Descendants of Ishmael, Lot, and Esau, who make up many of the present Arab / Islamic nations, are actively, unitedly and increasingly opposing Israel. Psalm 83:1-8
6. The gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ, is being preached to all the nations like never before, again a fulfillment of God’s Word. Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:19-20
7. There is a present and urgent need for a peace treaty in Israel. Peace in Israel is one of the biggest international concerns, and much diplomacy is taking place in these days to bring this about. This peace treaty will be signed or confirmed at the beginning of the 70^th week of Daniel. It will result only in a temporary pseudo peace. Daniel 9:27
8. There has been a growing interest in prophecy and an understanding of it. I have seen this increasing interest in this subject of prophecy in my lifetime, particularly since the 1970’s. God knows that now is the time, more than ever before, that we need to know, understand, believe, and take heed to what He has said about the return of His Son. Daniel 12:4, Revelation 1:3
9. The Jews are ready to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. There’s actually an organization called “The Temple Institute” that already has the garments, the utensils, the priests, and everything else that is needed to carry out the temple sacrifices. Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:4
10. The means for the antichrist to be dictator of the world, to establish a one world government are now being developed. The communication, identification, economic, tracking, military and transportation systems are becoming more and more sophisticated and globalized, making it possible for the Antichrist to rule the world in the end times. Revelation 13:11-18

What’s amazing is that these things weren’t taking place 100 years, and many not even 50 years ago. But they are now. God’s timetable for the return of His Son is right on schedule, on His schedule, and can be observed by any spiritually minded and discerning Christian. As we study God’s prophetic Word and then look at the world around us, we can see that Christ’s coming and the day of the Lord is getting closer and closer and closer. CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC, CBS, and many other TV news networks and internet sources tell us their version of the “news.” But they don’t know how to interpret what’s going on in the world in light of God’s Word. These news stations aren’t going to tell us that Christ’s second coming, the biggest story since Christ’s first coming, is not that far off. But that you see is our job as Christians, and it’s imperative that we tell others. We are to preach the first coming, the news of the Savior, but also preach the second coming, the news of the coming Savior, Judge and King. Talk about “breaking news” or a “news alert.” This is it – “Christ is coming back soon!!” 1 Peter 1:10-12, 2 Peter 1:19, Luke 12:56

How then should we live, knowing that Christ’s return could take place in our lifetime?
1. If we are Christians, then we should be making disciples “until the end of the age.” We should be preaching the gospel, warning people before it’s too late. We should tell people that if they repent then they will be forgiven and go to heaven, but if they don’t repent then they will remain unforgiven and spiritually dead, and will go to hell. And if they are alive on earth when Christ comes back, then they will also go through the Day of the Lord, a “hell” on earth. Matthew 24:14, Revelation 8-9, 16
2. We should be living holy lives, hastening the return of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:11-13
3. We should take comfort in the fact that Christ will return soon to take us home to heaven, to relieve us from our suffering, to redeem us from our bodies, and to rescue us from this wicked world. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9
4. We should be thinking about Christ’s coming, and excitedly looking forward to His return to rescue, rapture, and resurrect us, and to receive us to Himself. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
5. We should encourage one another as we see the day of Christ drawing nearer. Hebrews 10:24-25
6. We should be faithful to carry out the work that God has given us to do. The parable about the talents should motivate us to use the abilities, gifts, and money that God has given us to serve Him while we are living on this earth. Matthew 25:14-20
7. We should have faith, trusting God and His Word. We should have hope, confidently expecting Christ to come back soon, looking forward to all that He has for us. We should have love, and be loving both the believers and the unbelievers. 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Indeed, there is much written in the Word about Christ’s Second Coming. God has told us everything that we need to know about Christ’s return, and how we should then live. Let’s not neglect this important and timely truth. Let’s be good students and understand what Christ has told us, take heed to it, and then tell others. Mark 13:23, Revelation 1:4

If you are not sure if you are a Christian, then pray that you would understand that you have sinned against a holy God. Know that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and desires to save you from your sins, from death, and from hell. Repent of your sins, and ask God for mercy, and believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you, and then you can be forgiven and receive eternal life. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life.” Romans 6:23

What we are talking about today is no small thing, but the biggest event to take place since Christ came to this earth about 2000 years. It relates to you, to your family, to your friends, and to the church, but it also relates to the entire world. There will be more people alive on this world to witness this great, holy and magnificent event than at any other time in history. There will be a vast number of believers but a much greater number of unbelievers. This is most important and most exciting, but also very sobering. Be ready, be faithful, be loving, be holy, be hoping, be strong, and be doing the work of God.

As God’s children, let’s believe what God has told us in His Word about His Son’s coming. Let’s be excited about Christ’s return, and thankful that we can be alive on earth at this time in history. And let’s do the work God that has given us to do as long as it is day, for night is coming when no one can work. Hebrews 10:37, Revelation 22:12

Article 3

By Steven J. Hogan

It is imperative that we study the subject of prophecy, but why? Why is it so vitally important that we study it at this time, in these days? Let me give you a number of reasons why we should study prophecy:
1. The subject of prophecy is God’s Word. Every subject in God’s Word is inspired and important, and so too is this subject of prophecy, of eschatology. Might we show ourselves approved to God, as workmen who do not need to be ashamed, but who accurately handle prophetic truth, who understand what it says, and then teach it rightly.

2. There is much said in God’s Word on the subject of prophecy. We may have 5 verses on baptism, 10 verses on communion, and we would all agree that these are important subjects for the church, but there are literally thousands of verses on end-times’ prophecy. This enormous number of verses about the future of the church should help us to see the great importance of this subject, and motivate us to study it and learn it. In fact, there are over 100 verses specifically on the return of Christ and the rapture of the church. Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Micah, Zechariah, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, Romans 11, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4-5, 2 Thessalonians 1-2, Revelation, etc.

3. There is a great amount of prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled. When we talk about prophecy, we understand that there is fulfilled and unfulfilled prophecy, that which was fulfilled in the past, and that which is still to be fulfilled in the future. Now that we are closing in on the end of this age, we need to see that there is a lot of prophecy yet to be fulfilled on this earth. Should we not be excited to understand what God says in His Word about the coming days and years, about what is to soon take place on this earth, what is to be our future, and more likely, the future of our children and grandchildren? Zechariah, Simeon and Annas’ examples speak loudly to us, for they were excitedly looking forward to the fulfillment of Old Testament predictions about Christ, the promised Messiah. They were actually witnesses of Christ’s 1^st coming. Might God sovereignly work it out so that we witness Christ’s 2^nd coming, and then are raptured from this earth. Luke 1:67-79, Luke 2:25-32, Luke 2:36-38

4. The subject of prophecy is now more relevant than at any other time in history. Since the Jews are back in their land, the land of Israel, we know we are living in the end-times and that the return of Christ is drawing near. Therefore, it is most critical to study and understand what God’s Word says about the end-times and the return of Christ. Should we not want to know what God says about the end times and the coming of Christ? Should we not want to know what may take place in our lifetime? Please understand that it relates not just to you, but to your family, your friends, your church, and to the gospel of Christ and the glory of God. Matthew 24:3-44, Luke 21:5-36, 2 Thessalonians 2, Revelation 6-7

5. God has told us certain things about the future that He wants us to know. God has not told us everything that is going to happen with regards to the end-times and Christ’s return, but only certain things, and it is these things which are in God’s word. Should we not want to know these things that God wants us to know? Might we then study these sections of Scripture that speak about Christ’s 2nd coming so that we can find out what our heavenly Father wants us to know.  Might we take Jesus’ words to heart, “Be on your guard, I have told you everything ahead of time.” Mark 13:23

6. So you don’t fall into error. There is so much error on this subject of prophecy, and we need to know what is true so we can recognize and refute what is false. That’s why Paul spent so much time on this subject when writing to the Thessalonians, for there were false teachers, their errors and with that, deception, with the result that the church was confused and unsettled. Do you not see in this day and age that the devil is working hard and doing all he can to lead us astray? As Christians we should not want our families, friends and our church to be deceived, and especially as the day of Christ draws nearer. Might we clearly understand prophetic truth so we can be encouraged, and so we can speak out against the false teachers and counter their errors. Matthew 24:4, Titus 1:9

7. Because Christ loves you and wants to see you and wants you to be looking forward to His return. Jesus Christ is our Savior, Lord and King, our lover, friend and brother, and He can’t wait to see us, and take us home to heaven to be with Him. Should we not be wanting to see Him? Of course, we should be excited about seeing Him, and therefore wanting to learn from His word as much as we can about the circumstances and events leading up to His coming. If we aren’t excited about Christ’s return, if we aren’t longing for Him, and looking forward to seeing Him, then what are we excited about, what are we longing for? 1 Peter 1:10-12

8. God wants you to know prophetic truths so you can share it with other Christians. Might we be good students, schooled in this subject so we can instruct and warn others about what is going to be taking place in these coming days. We are commanded to encourage one another as we see the day drawing near, but we can only do this as we ourselves know and understand prophetic truth as it is revealed to us in God’s Word. Matthew 28:19-20, Hebrews 10:24-25

9. God wants you to know the subject of prophecy so you can be at peace. In a world of confusion, calamity and conflict, in a world where things will get worse and worse before the return of Christ, God tells you, “Be still and know that I am God”. Wars, famines, earthquakes, plagues, economic distress, and persecution will all take place in the end-times. But knowing that they will come, that God is in control, that this is all part of God’s plan, and that God will be exalted, will help us to trust Him, and to be at peace. Psalm 46, Matthew 24:4-8, Revelation 6:1-8

10. So you can understand it. Many people don’t study this subject of prophecy because they don’t think they can understand it, that it is too confusing, that it is too hard to figure out, that there are too many opinions, or that it is too controversial. But why would God ever give us this subject if it was too hard and too confusing? Why would God ever give us this subject if we couldn’t understand it? I am telling you, that God by His Holy Spirit, will enable us to understand this important end-time’s subject. Pray to God, read and study prophetic truth, compare Scripture with Scripture, learn about it from other godly men, and read and study it some more, and you will understand it. Proverbs 2:1-10

11. So you can know what God says about Christ’s coming which will motivate you to share the gospel with the lost. All this truth about what is going to happen in the near future, about fiery judgments on earth and fiery judgments in hell, should encourage us to proclaim the gospel to the unsaved. The more we know the truth about the coming of Christ, the more we will want to warn the lost and tell them to repent of their sins and believe in Christ’s death and resurrection before it’s too late. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

12. So you can know how you are to live in the end-times, in the time leading up to the return of Christ. God’s Word gives many specific instructions to the believers in the church regarding the end-times and how we are to live, instructions about faith, hope, love, evangelism, prayer, fellowship, error, perseverance, suffering and holiness. Seven letters to seven churches are given to us in Revelation 2-3, and these are in the context of the greatest prophecy book in the entire Bible. They are, no doubt, needed and relevant for all Christians living in these end-times. Listen and take heed to what the Spirit tells the churches so you can know how to live, can be an overcomer, and can be ready for Christ’s coming.

13. So you can be pure, holy and godly. There are many challenges and temptations for the Christian, and even more so in the end-times. We don’t want to be worldly Christians when Christ comes back. We need to know and understand end-times’ prophetic truth so we can be pure and holy, unstained by sin and the world, and useful to the Lord in faithfully doing His work on earth. 1 John 3:2, 2 Peter 3:9-14, Luke 21:34-36, Revelation 18

14. The Old Testament prophets wrote about the end-times for the Christians of today. Yes, the prophets wanted to know the times and circumstances of Christ’s coming, but it wasn’t for them, it was and is for us. Isn’t this encouraging? The prophets were really writing for us. Should we not then read what they wrote, knowing that it pertains to us and the days we now live? Even the angels long to look into these things, which means this is critically important. Therefore we should want to read, study and know it so we can clearly and completely tell others the truth about the return of Christ and the rapture of the church. “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; and whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.” Ezekiel 3:17, Daniel 12:4, 9; 1 Peter 1:10-12

15. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Much of what God says about the future is a warning to us about the upcoming difficulties, danger, distress, and about the devil’s work in the end-times. God wants us to know what will be taking place so we can be ready, so we can do battle. A good coach knows the game plan of the opponent, and a good general knows the strategies of the enemy, their tactics and tendencies. Might we know the schemes of the devil and the plans of God so we can be prepared, so we can put on the full armor of God, so we can be ready to fight, so we can be overcomers and winners. Ephesians 6:10-13, Revelation 2:7

16. God will bless those who take heed to His instructions on the end-times. I believe we all want to be blessed by God. Might we then read and understand what God says to us so we can know what to believe, take to heart what is written, and be doing what God wants us to be doing in the days before His Son’s return. The more we know and do, the more we will be blessed and encouraged. Those who don’t read, understand, and take heed will not be blessed in the way that God had planned for them. Revelation 1:3-4

17. Because the consummation of God’s plan, the fulfillment of much of prophecy, is the great goal of the church. God’s plans for the church will soon be fulfilled, and this will occur at the coming of Christ. The glory of God and of Christ will be seen as God fulfills His plans for the church. If this is the great plan of God, the great goal of the church, then we should be excited about prophecy and be wanting to study the texts of God’s Word that speak so much about it. Ephesians 1:9-11

Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back soon. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:25). In the middle of one of the greatest chapters on prophecy we are told that God’s prophetic word will be fulfilled. Might we show our love to God by being diligent to study His word so we can know all He wants us to know about His Son’s return, so we can be excited and prepared, and so we can be looking forward to seeing our Savior, and then being with Him forever and ever. “Then they will see the Son of Man coming back with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

Article 2

By Steven J. Hogan

The greatest event to ever occur in the history of our world next to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ will soon take place. It is Jesus Christ returning to earth to rapture the Christians and receive them to Himself. “Then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the heavens.” Mark 13:27

I use the word rapture because it is the word that most evangelicals use in this present Christian world when speaking about Christ’s return. It was first used in the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible around 400AD, and comes from a Latin word “rapere” (the Greek is “harpazo”- from 1 Thessalonians 4:17), meaning seize, steal, snatch or take away. It is a good word in that it describes one particular and important aspect of Christ’s coming – that Christians on earth will suddenly be seized, be taken from this earth to be with Jesus Christ. But the word does not by any means fully describe all that takes place when Christ comes back for the believers.

Let me mention some other specific things that will result from being raptured. At Jesus Christ’s return believers on earth will be given relief from persecution (2 Thessalonians 1:7); rescued from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10); redeemed from a sinful body, and from this earth (Luke 21:28); raptured into heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17); resurrected into glory (John 5:28-29); reunited with other believers (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18); given rest from their labors (Revelation 14:13); and received by Jesus Christ (John 14:1-3). These eight words summarize different blessings directly affecting the Christians at Christ’s return. And it will all take place very quickly and suddenly, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye… the dead will be raised imperishable.” 1 Corinthians 15:5-52

Jesus Christ will soon come back in the clouds to gather all the believers to Himself. Without question, this will be the biggest, greatest, most spectacular and most important event to ever take place since the 1^st coming of Christ. Are you awake? Are you ready? Are you excited? Are you waiting? And are you looking forward to seeing your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ? 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 5:6-9

Sad to say, and understandably so, most unbelievers don’t know what is going to happen. But what is really sad is that a great majority of Christians, at least in the United States, aren’t even thinking about it. I mean, we are talking about Jesus Christ, their Savior, Lord, Redeemer and King. It is imperative for Christians to know, believe, understand, and be excited about what God says in His Word about the soon return of His Son, Jesus Christ to this planet earth, and then be telling others, both those who are saved, and those who are lost. Revelation 1:1-3, Matthew 28:19-20

Now there are many ways to describe Christ’s return. But let me say it this way:

Who: JESUS CHRIST

What: IS COMING BACK

When: SOON

Where: IN THE CLOUDS  

Why: TO GATHER THE CHRISTIANS

How: IN POWER AND GREAT GLORY

The Who is JESUS CHRIST, the Son of God, the Creator, the Savior and the King. It is this Jesus who came to earth the first time over 2000 years ago and died and rose again to pay for the sins, the crimes of men and women against a holy God. Jesus Christ dearly and greatly loves His bride, the ones who have been chosen by His Father, those who have repented and have trusted in Him to save them from their sins, to forgive them give them eternal life. 1 Peter 3:18, John 3:16

The What is that Jesus Christ IS COMING BACK to this earth. Over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ, having finished His mission, left this earth and ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father. And very soon He will come back, returning to rapture, redeem, and rescue God’s children, His bride from planet earth. Acts 1:11, Philippians 3:20-21

The When is SOON. “For yet in a very little while He who is coming will come and will not delay.” The key event that tells us that we are in the end times is the fact that the Jews have been returning to Israel since the late 1880’s. There are other signs given to us in God’s Word now coming true that also make it clear that Christ’s return is near. We do not know the day or hour, we don’t know specifically when, but as Hebrews 10:25 says, “as you see the day drawing near.” We will be able, in a general sense, to “see”, to sense, to know that the day of Christ, His coming, is getting closer and closer.

The Where is IN THE CLOUDS. Shortly after Christ’s death and resurrection He left this earth in the clouds and ascended to heaven to be with His Father. “In a very little while” Jesus Christ will return to this world, and “will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God…and 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

The Why is to GATHER THE CHRISTIANS. All believers who have ever been saved, those past, present and future, those who have died and already gone to heaven, and those still alive on earth, “who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord” will be “caught up together (raptured) with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:15,17). “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:50-51). How amazing, how wonderful, how marvelous, how incredible, and God glorifying this will all be. “Amen. Come Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20

The How is WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY. Those who are alive on earth at Jesus Christ’s return will not and cannot miss what is going to happen, for Christ is coming back in power and great glory. God’s resurrection power will be clearly, mightily and magnificently displayed when Jesus Christ returns, to take us to be with Him, to give us new and immortal bodies, to take us to heaven, so we can then, like never before, love and glorify Him, our Lord, Savior, Redeemer and King. Hallelujah! Revelation 5:12-14

Article 1

By Steven J. Hogan

It’s all about Jesus Christ. That’s right. Whether we talk about the past, the present, the end times, or the way distant future, we have to realize that it’s all about Jesus Christ. I mean He is the Creator of the earth, the Lord of lords, the Savior of souls, the Head of the church, the Judge of the world, and the King of kings. It’s sure not about us; it’s about Jesus Christ. Isaiah 9:6-7

Over 2000 years ago Jesus Christ came to this earth for one primary reason, to die on the cross and pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could be born again, forgiven of our sins, receive eternal life and be children of God, so we could personally know Him, love Him, serve Him, and be with Him now and forever. It’s all about Jesus Christ. John 3:16, Philippians 2:5-12

The best news ever is that Jesus Christ died to save us from sin, death and hell. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But He did not just save us. He is our Lord to lead us and our Friend to encourage us. He is now at this very minute the Word, the bread of life, the light, the living water, the way, the truth and the life. He is our spiritual sustenance, our strength, our rest, our joy, our peace, our portion, our possession. It cannot get any better than this. John 1:29, John 14:6

John 14:20 says, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” What an amazing reality, that through the working of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is now in us, and that we are now in Him. God wants you to realize the closeness, the intimacy, the relationship, the fellowship you can have with Him, and the security and protection you can have through Him. Psalms 23, 63, 91; Ephesians 3:14-17

Now we have eternal life, this wonderful, “nothing better in the world” relationship with Jesus Christ. Enjoy Him, love Him, trust Him, obey Him, serve Him and wait for Him. We have it good with Christ now, but it is soon going to get supremely better. Being cramped in this physical and sin prone body keeps us from fully experiencing Christ. Living in this perverse and wicked world prevents us from fully knowing the Lord. Being hounded by the devil and his demons on this earth makes it hard, at times, to fully experience intimacy with God. But God gives us all the grace we need to say no to sin, to live for Him, and to be close to Him. Titus 2:12-13

Yet, we have a blessed hope, that Jesus Christ will appear, and redeem us, and take us out of here, out of this body, out of this world, and rescued forever from the devil. Jesus Christ wants this “redemption” for us more than we know, for He longs to be with us, so we can fully, wonderfully and eternally experience Him and all that He has for us. Might we see Christ rightly, and might we love Him now, and be satisfied with Him now, but might we also long to be with Him. Job 19:27, Ephesians 1:14, Philippians 3:10

Jesus Christ now sits in heaven at the right hand of God, but He is coming back to earth. He promised it, telling us over and over again, and that He’s coming back soon. Jesus also told us many specific details about His return and the events surrounding His return. You can read all about it in the gospels, the epistles and the book of Revelation. There is no mistaking that Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Friend and King, wants us to know the what, the why, the when, and the how of His return, of His 2^nd coming. Mark 13:23, Matthew 24, Revelation 6-7

There are over 100 verses in the New Testament that speak specifically about Christ’s return, His coming, His appearing, His revelation. Now that’s a lot of verses, which means that it must be very, very important. And in fact it is by far the single most important thing that could ever occur in this church age, and now we know that it could take place in our lifetime. Revelation 22:7

Why is Christ coming? To give us relief from persecution, to rescue us from the wrath to come, to give us rest from our labors, to redeem us from this earth, to rapture us into heaven, to reunite us with other believers, and to resurrect our weak bodies, transforming us to be like Christ and the angels. Yes, Christ is coming back to glorify us, but He is also coming back to judge the world, and then to rule as King over this world for 1000 years, and after that, to eternally reign with God the Father. 2 Thessalonians 1:4-7, Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

God told us all He told us these things because He wants us to have hope. We live in a dismal, dreadful, diseased, devil-controlled world, and we have to have hope, this promise of His glorious return, this promise of future blessings, this promise of being with friends in heaven, this promise of a great and eternal inheritance, but most of all, this promise of being with Jesus Christ Himself. Might we truly and greatly love our Lord Jesus, and might we be looking forward to being with Him in our heavenly home. Hebrews 12:23-24, Matthew 24:42-51

Jesus Christ loves us and wants us to be aware, awake and alerted to the fact that He is coming soon to take us to be with Him. And He has given us signs, a number of specific events that need to take place before His return, for He wants us to be ready and waiting, excited about His return. Our Savior, Lord and Friend wants our minds to be on Him, to be loving Him and not to be loving the things of the world. Colossians 3:1-4, 1 John 3:1-3, Psalm 73:25-26

Jesus Christ is so excited to see us, and to take us from this earth so that we can be with Him in heaven. He wants to take away all our pain and sorrow and tears and heartache and sin. He wants to love us like we have never been loved before. He wants to show us His great glory. He wants us to love Him, to sing to Him, to worship Him like never before. He wants to bless us like never before. He wants us to be in our new home. He wants to fulfill all the plans that He has for us. Psalm 16:11, Psalm 84, John 17:24

This return of Jesus Christ to planet earth is no small subject, no minor matter, no insignificant event. Next to Christ’s 1^st coming, this 2^nd coming of Christ is the most important event to take place on planet earth, and it very well could take place in our lifetime. We know that it will be soon, we just don’t know exactly when.

Sad to say, way too many Christians don’t know much about Christ’s return, or are confused or in error as to what the Bible says, or are too busy to think about it, or just don’t seem to care. This is unbelievable, and not acceptable! We need to wake up, to come to our spiritual senses, and to get excited about the truth, the fact, the reality of Christ’s 2^nd coming. We need to set our minds on Christ while we live on this earth. We need to be doing the work Christ wants us to do. We need to be working for Him. And we need to be waiting for Him. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

There is no doubt that Jesus Christ is coming back, and He wants our minds to be convinced that He is coming back, and our hearts to be affected by the fact that He’s coming back. He wants us to be looking forward to His return, to seeing Him face to face, to being with Him forever and ever, on earth and in heaven. If you have a good friend or a relative, someone you really like, and they are coming to visit you, and you haven’t seen them for a while, then you are usually very excited, and you can’t wait to see him, and so you get ready and prepared for their visit. But we are not talking about just any old friend or a relative – we are talking about our Lord, Savior, Friend and King. Might you then be excited, and even ecstatic about Christ’s coming.

Do you remember the stories from Luke 2 about Anna and Simeon, and how they knew Christ was coming, and they were looking forward to Christ’s coming, and they were telling others about His coming? They knew with absolute certainty that the Messiah was coming, for they had believed the Old Testament promises about a coming Savior, Redeemer and King.

As you know, Jesus Christ’s main purpose at His 1^st coming was to show Himself to be God, to live a perfect life, to die for our sins, and then be raised again. And all this really took place, and then Christ ascended into heaven; and He has been there during this church age, building the church, praying for the church, waiting for the time to come and get us. And soon Christ will return to rapture the church that is still on earth, to judge the world, and then to reign as King over the world. And so here we are, 2000 years after Christ’s 1^stcoming, and we know that it won’t be long before Christ’s 2^ndcoming. If Simeon and Anna were excited back then, should we not be all the more excited now?

Might God do a fresh work in your heart, weaning you away from sin, self, and worldliness, and filling you with a strong and vibrant love for His Son. Might God fill you with a desire to serve Him and obey Him, for now is your time, now is your opportunity to serve Him on this earth. Never again will you have this chance. And soon Christ will return from heaven to take you to be with Him, forever and ever. Might you be working for Him and waiting for Him. And might you be praying for His kingdom to come, and His will to be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13