(This page last reviewed and updated April 17, 2021)
On this page you will find the Bible Answers
to questions about the coming time of Tribulation, the Last Days of Planet Earth and the Eternity to follow!
**NEW TO THIS PAGE**
Salvation:
What's
it all about?? Do I need it?? How can I get it??
If you want peace of mind and assurance of your eternal salvation we can show you the "Bible Answers" to
this important subject.
For most of us life is good! Most of us love life,
the world we live in, our family, friends, and most of the people around us. But, with every life that comes into
this world, comes death and eternity. God gives us life and with our life will someday come our death.
We will each someday die.
But, death is not the end of us-beyond the grave lies eternity.
For living our life God has given us his word, the Bible, so that we would know that there is an eternity beyond
the grave--
Our eternal life
will be either "Good" or "Bad"-depending on the choices we make while we are alive.
The Bible tells us that because of sin we are all, each of us,
lost-we have lost our eternity with God!! The Bible also tells us that to regain this eternal life with God we must be "saved"
form the eternal death which is our destiny through sin. That is what "salvation" is all about. We are "saved
from" eternal death and "saved into" eternal life.
Do you want to have an eternal life with God?????
Perhaps you have asked - I want an eternal life with God -- how can I get it? .
***TO BE CONTINUED***
Below on Part 1 of this page you will find Bible Answers to your questions about the Last Days on
planet earth, the Anti-Christ, the Great Tribulation, the Return of Christ, and God's judgments on our world.
On Part 2 of this
page you will find Bible answers to your questions about Eternity and how we will spend it.
*****************
* *
* * *
* * *
Part 1: The Last Days
of Planet Earth - a time of Great Tribulation
What does
the Bible tell us about the last days of planet earth? Our Planet earth will always
be here. God created it, created us to inhabit it and from the end of the Book of Revelation we can see it
will be inhabited with Christian worshipers forever.
Who is the Anti-Christ and why will people worship him? The Anti-Christ will be a popular world leader who will come on the stage to usher in the Great Tribulation.
When he arrives the world will be in turmoil. There will be "wars and rumors of war" (Matthew 24:6, Mark:13:7).
As a military man, this leader will wage war and then bring peace. He will first proclaim himself to be a defender and protector
of Israel, but will shortly enter the temple and set himself up as a god to be worshiped. When a remnant of jews resist him,
he will turn on Israel and begin to persecute the entire Jewish nation, attempting to drive them out of existence. He will
set himself up in the rebuilt Jewish temple at Jerusalem as a god to be worshiped. At the end of the Great Tribulation
he will be defeated by the armies of God, and sent into everlasting punishment.
When will the Great Tribulation begin and what will it be like?
God has not told us when the Great Tribulation will begin, however all the parts and pieces for the tribulation to begin have
been in place ever since Christ returned to heaven.
Is the Anti-Christ here on earth today? Many have speculated that this leader or that leader is the Anti-Christ, but none have been so far. We know
from the Book of Revelation that the Anti-Christ will come from the mid-east as a peace maker in a time of war. But, his motive
is not peace but war to destroy Israel.
Will the
Church go through the "Great Tribulation"? There is much
controversy and disagreement among honest, bible believing, Christians on this question. I personally believe the Bible
teaches that all true christians will be "raptured" out of this earth, and lifted up bodily to meet
Jesus Christ in the air as described in 1 Thes 4:13-17 before the Great Tribulation begins. This is called the "pre-trib"
rapture. One support for this timetable is that there is no mention of the church in the Book of Revelation from the
beginning of the tribulation in Rev 4:1, all the way through the Great Tribulation. The church is not mentioned again
until Rev 19:14 when Christ, with his church, ride out from heaven to cast the beast and the false prophet into hell (the
lake of fire), and to cast satan into the bottomless pit. How did the church get to heaven if they were not "raptured
(taken up)" first? After that, in Rev 20:4, the church begins it's 1000 year reign with Christ here on earth. This
is what I believe, however, many of my good christian friends believe otherwise. Some believe christians will suffer through
the first 3-1/2 years of the tribulation and have what is called a "mid-trib" view. They believe the church will
be raptured out of this world mid way through the Tribulation. Still others believe all the church which is still on
earth when the Great Tribulation begins will have to go through the whole 7 years of tribuletion before they are "caught
up" to be with our Lord in the air. This view is referred to as the "post-trib" view. I would not break fellowship
with other Bible believers who have placed their trust in the sacrifice of Christ for their salvation, but, who
themselves believe Christians will go through all or part of the Tribulation.
But as for me and my house we are
not planning to go thru any part of the Great Tribulation. You can if you want!
So, what does the Bible say about the 'Rapture of the Church'? The term "Rapture" (commonly used by Christians for the phrase "caught up" used Paul)
is not itself found in the Bible. It is a transliteration of the Greek word "Harpadzo" which means "to seize,
to pluck up, to pull up or to take my force". What this refers to, however, is the revelation given to us by Paul in
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first:... then we which are alive and remain, shall be 'caught
up' (in the Greek "Harpadzo") together with them, in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord." This "catching up" is what we Christiansrefer to as the "rapture of the church".
It describes how the church of true believers, both those who have died and those still alive on earth at the time, will be
miraculously "caught up" (raptured), that is, taken up in their physical body, to heaven by Jesus Christ, who has
appeared to them as he calls them from the clouds above. It will be an amazing sight. I believe this will be done in fulfillment
of God's promise that Christian believers will not be subject to the pain and suffering the rest of the world will go through
in the Great Tribulation Paul confirms this promise of God in Romans 5:9, "For we are not appointed unto the wrath of
God" and again in Rom 8:1-4, "For we shall not come into condemnation". I believe these verses confirm the
"Pre-trib" rapture. As soon as the rapture occurs the Great Tribulation can begin, and not before.
When will Jesus return? The Bible tells us that Jesus
will return to this earth twice. He will return the first time to the heavens above the earth to "rapture",
that is to "Catch Away" his church of true believers (1 Thes 4:17). He will return the second time with an
army of saints to destroy the Anti-Christ and his armies at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:16 & Rev 19) .
What Judgments still lie
ahead? The Bible speaks of several Judgments still ahead. There will be the Judgment
of Christians for their works at the Beama Seat Judgment. Then, there will be the Judgment of the fallen angels, of Satan,
of the False Prophet, of the Dragon, and of the Anti-christ (Rev 20: 1-2). Finally there will be the judgmentof the lost at
the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11-15). This judgment will be for those folks that have lived, but never acknowledged
their lost condition. They have never acknowledged that sin has caused their lost condition. They have never asked God to
forgive them or trusted in the shed blood of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for their sin. God's judgment, for all except
the Christians who are saved, will be the same. An eternity of suffering without God.
When will eternity begin, and what will it be like? Eternity will begin after the millenium and following the final defeat of Satan at the Battle of
Armaggedon. Eternity will be centered around the "New Heaven and New Earth" (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:1-3).
The New Earth will be inhabited my the faithful on earth at the Tribulation, while the New Heaven will be an eternal
celestial city in heaven inhabited by the faithful who trusted Christ for their salvation during their life and
who's spirit has gone on in death to be forever with God.
Where will I spend eternity? If you have believed God's word, acknowledged your sin and trusted the shed blood sacrifice of Jesus
Christ to pay the penalty for your sin, then , you will spend eternity in heaven with God. If you have not believed
God and trusted Christ, if you are "doing it on your own", "living your life as best you can", "trying
to do good", that is, if you plan to make it to heaven "on your own" without relying on the sacrifice of Christ
to take away the penalty of your sin, then God will say "depart from me, I never knew you", and you will spend eternity with
the Rich Man of Luke chapter 16, in outer darkness, where there is the weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:41-42,
Luke 13:24-28). I love you, and would never wish this upon you, or anyone else,
but this is what the Word of God says. God said it--I believe it--and that's good enough for me!
What is the "Great
White Throne Judgment" and who will be there? As reported
in the book of Revelation (Rev 1:19), God let John see into the future. He saw the dead, small and great, standing before
the great white throne of God. "The books were opened, and they were judged for the things that were written
in those books. And, whosoever was not found written in the 'Book of Life', was cast into the lake of fire, where the
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:45-46 , Rev 19:20-21) There will be no pleading.
There will be no cross examination of witnesses. There will be no oral arguments. Just death, and then
the judgment, and then an eternity of pain and suffering. If you want to enjoy eternity with God in heaven, you better
make sure your name is written in 'Book of Life'. The Bible says, "Whosoever's name is not found written in the
"Book of Life" shall be lost" ( Rev 20:15 ) It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God." (Heb 10:31)
Life on Earth Before Eternity Begins
Before Eternity
begins, this world will go through a time of great pain and suffering. The Bible calls this time "The Great Tribulation". (Matt 24:21)
Pre-trib Christians, we are not looking to go through this
time of world tribulation, chaos and pain. ( Rev 5:1-20:4) Instead, we are looking forward to our eternity
spent in heaven with God the Father, Jesus, and all the many saints. Our eternal life is not in our hands, we have put our
trust and yes, our eternal life, in the finished work and the nail scarred hands of Jesus Christ. We can not work our way
to heaven. Jesus has done that work for us, Praise God, and "It is finished".
An old guy told
me one time, "I have put all my eggs in one basket, and I have
given that basket to Jesus Christ. My eternal life is fully in his hands". Who is holding your basket?
What must occur
to get from the world as we know it today into the eternity to come? The
Bible gives us a specific calendar of events that must occur between now and eternity. In summary they are:
The Rapture of the Church (1
Thess 4:17). The rapture of the church ushers in the Great Tribulation by removing the last obstacle
that is preventing the rise of the Anti-Christ (1 Thess 4:17), and the beginning of the Last Days and Great Tribulation.
The Great
Tribulation begins. (Matthew 24:21) God's judgment of this earth for it's
rebellion and sin against Him.
The rise of
the Anti-Christ, the abomination of desolation, (Mark 13:14, Matthew 24:15). He will be a godless earthly ruler, who, assisted
by the spiritual, demonic powers of "The Beast" and "The False Prophet", establishes his world reign.(1 John 2:22)
There will be "Wars and rumors of wars".
(Mark 13:7)
The "Scroll of Seven Seals" is opened - one seal at a time.(Rev 6:1)
The "Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse" ride out from heaven. They bring war, famine, and terror to this earth.(Rev 6:2)
The seven "Trumpet Woes"
begin.(Rev 8:2)
The "Seven
Bowls of Wrath" are poured out on the earth. (16:1)
The "Anti-Christ", the "abominationof desolation" enlists the world's armies
to fight against God.(Rev 20:8-9)
Jesus Christ returns with his saints(Matthew 24:30).
The army
of the Anti-Christ is defeated on the Plain of Jezreel, in a place called "Armageddon", by Jesus Christ and
an army of Saints from heaven.(Rev 16:16 & 19:14-21)
The "Beast" & "False Prophet" are cast into hell, the Lake of Fire, for
eternity.(Rev 19:20)
Satan
- the force behind the Beast and the False Prophet - who has been roaming this world ever since his fall seeking whom
he may devour (1Pet 5:8), is cast into "The Bottomless Pit" where he will stay imprisoned for 1000 years. (Rev20:1-3)
The Millennium begins
(Rev 20:4-6) - heaven on earth - the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ here on earth.
The Millennium ends - and Satan is loosed
from the 'Bottomless Pit'.(Rev 20:7)
Satan gathers together another army of un-believers.
(Imagine that. Satan will be able to deceive an army of people who have lived on this earth for 1,000
years under the direct leadership of God. Don't ever underestimate the power of Satan!! Powerful--but--not all powerful
is not powerful.) They march against the city of Jerusalem.(Rev 20:8)
Satan and his new army are destroyed by the fire of God from
heaven.(Rev 20:9)
Satan,
along with the Beast and the False Prophet are cast into Hell, the "Lake of Fire" to live and suffer for etenity.
(Rev 20:10) He is now finally gone forever. Praise God's eternal and almighty
name!!!
The "Great
White Throne Judgment" begins (Rev 20:11-15). "And the dead, small and great, are raised (from their
graves) to stand before God. And the books are opened, and another book is opened, which is called the 'Book of Life'.
And, all the dead are judged out of those things which are written in the books, according to their works. And, whosoever
was not found written in the 'Book of life', was cast into the Lake of Fire."
Aside: It is important to note that only
the lost appear before the Great White Throne of God for Judgment. It is here that they are judged for
their sins, not their works. Christians do not appear before the Great White Throne of God for judgment because this
is a judgment for sin and, as Christians, all of our sins were judged at the Cross of Christ.(John 5:24)
At the Great White Throne the lost will see their works burned up as so much "wood,
hay and stubble"(1 Cor 3:12).
The works of those who are saved will also be judged, and rewarded, but not here.The works of the
saved, good works that advance the cause of Christ (which cause is the salvation of mankind), are discribed as "Gold,
silver and precious stones" They will last forever. Other works that are done, even by Christians, to satisfy
their own ego and station in life are described as "wood, hay and stubble" and will be burned up. Christian works
will be judged at the Beama Seat Judgment(Rom 14:10 & 2 Cor 5:10). Here Christians will receive honors and
awards that are bestowed on us by Jesus Christ.
Please understand that works will not save anyone. Only the sacrifice and blood of Jesus Christ
will save anyone (Eph 1:7, Heb 9:11-15). The Bible speaks of "the good works" of those
who have trusted Christ for their personal salvation as reward for those who have been saved
through their trust in the blood of Christ. None of the "those things which are written
in the books, according to their works" has any bearing on who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. According
to the Bible, the verdict of where you spend your eternity is NOT MADE as a result of YOUR WORKS-GOOD OR BAD-!!!
Our life in eternity is only dependent on ONE THING!!! Whosoever's name is either written or not written in "The
Book of Life"!!! (Rev 20:15) And, it is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour who is able to write your
name in the "Book of Life".
If you are not sure your name is written down with Christ's own blood, in the "Book of Life",
I urge you get it written there today. Tomorrow may be too late!!!
You can go to God right now. Admit you have sinned and fallen short
of God's plan for your life. (Rom 3:23) In your heart confess to God that you have sinned and admit you can not
save yourself (Ezek 18:20). Thank God that he so loved you that he sent his only begotten son Jesus into this world
to do for you what you could not do for yourself (John 3:16-18). Ask God to cover your sin with the blood of Christ,
and thou shalt be saved (John 5:24). Your name will immediately be written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, and heaven will
be your address for eternity. (Rev 20:12-15)
How can I understand
the Book of Revelation? The last Book of the Bible is the book of the Revelation
of Jesus Christ. It gives us a preview of those things which will happen here on earth during the end times
and reveals the heavenly character of Jesus Christ as he ministers today as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
It reveals the details of Jesus' plan for his church throughout time and into the eternity to come. There
are several major divisions of this book, and several other references in the Bible giving us insight into the last days as
depicted in the book of Revelation. 1.God's
vision of the present day church. (Revelation 2:1 to Revelation 3:22)
2.The
next major event in church history. (1 Thessalonians 4:16 & 17)
3.
The sufferings and conditions on earth during the Great Tribulation. (Rev 6:1 thru
11:19)
4. The eternal destiny of those who joined Satan. ( Rev
chapters 13 & 18 & Daniel chapter 7)
5.
The eternal destiny of those who have rejected the gift of God. (Rev 20: 11-15)
6. The eternal destiny of Satan. (Rev 20:7-10)
7. The eternal destiny of those of us who have believed God and trusted Jesus Christ for our etenal
salvation. (Rev 21 & 22)
Why did John fall down as dead?
We should be humbled as we read Rev 1:17. Here is John (the beloved apostle) who, when he saw the risen Lord, "fell
at his feet as dead". As did John, each of us will eventually come face to face with the risen Jesus Christ.
Some will meet him as judge and some will meet him as savior! Either way he will be awesome. Saved or lost we will not be able to stand. My heart goes out to those
folks who meet him as their judge. Those of us who meet him as our savior will hear him say, "Welcome, beloved of my
Father, come join me in paradise, prepared for you since the foundation of the world"(1 Pet 1:20, Lk 14:29, Mt 25:24).
For those who meet him as judge
it will be to hear their sentence of eternal doom. Remember the unsaved will not be standing before God to determine
guilt or innocence, we are already guilty of sin. The unsaved will be appearing before the eternal judge to receive their
guilty sentence. (Rev 22:15) We are all guilty of sin in this life. Isaiah declared, "We all have sinned.
We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has gone our own way." (Isa 53:6) We have all come short
of the glory of God. Many will stand before God to receive the just and guilty sentence for their sins,
"Depart from me, I never knew you."(Lk 13:24-27, Matt 7:21-23 & 25:41)
But, for those of
us who have put our trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ, we will not appear for judgment. Jesus will
step forward and tell God the judge, "Forgive them Father, take them into heaven with me, for I have already
paid the sin debt death penalty for them". Those who have rejected Christ are also guilty, but they have
no savior. They will stand alone before God alone, guilty of their sins and guilty of rejecting the salvation offered
by Jesus Christ. Understand that our trial is not held in heaven. Our trial is here on earth in our daily life.
The Bible says, "Choose you this day who you will serve". (Joshua 24:25) Standing before God is the place of judgment.
Here on earth is the place of choosing. The bible confirms there is death and then the judgment.(Heb 9:27) At
the final judgment God will ask only, "What have you done with the sacrifice of my Son?" Judgment will depend
on your answer. Judgment for reward will be at at the Beama seat judgment, but only for those who
have trusted Christ.(Rev 7:9-12) "Blessed are they that do his commandments and may enter the gates into the
eternal city." (Rev 22:14) Judgment for eternal death will be before the Great White Throne of God for
all those who have chosen not to trust Jesus Christ. They must bear their own sins before God. (Rev 20:11-15)
Here they will receive their just sentence, "cast into the lake of fire that burns for ever and ever.
This is the second death." (Rev 20:14) Yes, we shall all fall down before Jesus Christ!! Some of us
in love and adoration, and some in fear and trembling. What group will you be in my friend?
Who are the "four
and twenty" elders John saw around the throne of God in Rev 4:4? They represent the
church. Note that they are already in heaven before the judgment of the earth begins, thus supporting my belief
that the church will not go through the Great Tribulation, having been raptured, that is taken away, from this earth before
God's judgment falls.(1 Thes 4:13-17)
What is the scroll with seven seals in Rev 5:1? This
scroll represents the "Title Deed" to this earth. In the Roman times (which John lived) these "seven sealed"
scrolls were commonly used for deeds. The deed was partly rolled and then sealed, then rolled some more and sealed. Rolled
and sealed seven times. So sealed as to prevent anyone from tampering with it. This scroll represents the Title for
possession of this earth, and the only one who can possess it and open it is Jesus Christ. "Who is found worthy to take
the scroll and open it?" (Rev 5:2) Only Jesus himself. (Rev 5:7) As the seals are opened we see the events
on earth which will immediately proceed the return of Christ to take possession of his inheritance. The deed proclaims
judgment against this earth and all of those left on earth after the rapture. These are those who would not believe God
and trust Jesus Christ for their personal salvation. After the seals, after the plagues, after the 4 horsemen ride, the
seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom
of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." (Rev 11:15)
