Mentoring Men for the Master

THE EQUIVALENT TO THE FLOOD IS APPROACHING

THE EQUIVALENT TO THE FLOOD IS APPROACHING

Gen. 6-7; Rev. 16-18; 1 Thess. 4:16-18; 2 Peter 3:9-18

A Lesson from Biblical History:  God made man in “His own image” with the intent that he would live godly on this earth, but in time “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…the earth was corrupt in the sight of God…and was filled with violence (terrorism).”  (Genesis 6:5,11).  “Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come…Make for yourself an Ark” (Genesis 6:13-14) and “By faith Noah prepared an Ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world…” (Heb. 11:7).  Such is the description of God’s judgment upon the ancient world.

Will there ever be on this earth the equivalence of the Ancient Flood.  Absolutely.  The modern equivalent will be the “Great Tribulation” on earth (Rev. 6-18).  Is it approaching?  Jesus predicted that in the end time it would be as in the days of Noah, indeed “just like the days of Noah.” (Matthew 24:37) to quote Jesus.  Is it “just like the days of Noah in our day?  If not exactly, almost exactly.  Could it be in our life time?  Absolutely.    While no one dare set the date (Matthew 24:36), no informed Bible student can ignore the fact that we are approaching these days rapidly.  Therefore we need to “discern the times” in which we are living by knowing the Word and having the teaching of the meaning of that Word by the Holy Spirit.

I have, therefore, felt led to summarize the “End Times” under “THE NINE AWESOME EVENTS OF THE END-TIME DRAMA” but to stay within the orbit of the biblical revelation:

 

1.      There Will Be A RETURN.  “For the Lord Himself will descend with a cry of command, with the voice of the Arch-Angel, and with the trumpet of  God.” (1 Thess. 4:16).

 

2.      There Will Be A RESURRECTION of the righteous dead.  “And the dead in Christ shall be first.” (1 Tim. 16b).  Like Lazarus, Jesus will command every dead in body believer to arise and join Him in the air.  Will He call us by name?  (John 5:28-29).

 

3.      There Will Be A RAPTURE  of the righteous living on earth.  “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (Harpagesometha – shall be seized) together with them (the righteous dead) to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”  (1 Thess. 4:17).

 

Examples in the Bible similar to those in the Rapture:

a.       Enoch – “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5.

b.      Elijah – “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kings 2:11).

c.       Paul – “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one, was caught up to the third heaven.  And I know such a man- whether in the body I do out of the body I do not know, God knows – how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” (1 Cor. 12:2-4).

 

The Aftermath on Earth:  “Jumbo jets plummet to earth as they no longer have a pilot at the controls.  Driverless busses, trains, subways, and cars will cause unimaginable disaster.  Classrooms will suddenly be without teachers…Doctors and nurses seem to abandon their patients in the middle of surgical operations, and patients will vanish from operating tables.  Children disappear from their beds.  People run through the streets looking for missing family members who were just moments ago.  Panic grips every household, city and country.”[1]

 

4.      There Will Be A REUNION  with Jesus and our loved ones.  “We who are alive…will be caught up together with them (all the righteous dead, including our kin folk) to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thess. 4:17).

a.       Dead bodies reunited with their spirits.

b.      Resurrected believers reunited with living believers

c.       Resurrected believers and raptured believers meet one another and the Lord.

 

5.      There Will Be Great RETRIBUTION  (Tribulation) upon the earth.  “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21).  Events during the Great Tribulation:

a.       The Anti-Christ, Satan’s Masterpiece, will rule the world politically (Rev. 13:1-10)

b.      The False-Prophet, will rule the world religiously and economically (Rev. 13:11-18)

c.       The Battle of Armageddon will be the climax of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 19:17-21)

d.      Jesus will return  “to seize the Anti-Christ and False Prophet” and consign to the Lake of Fire forever (Rev. 19-20).

 

6.       There Will Be a RETURN  of Jesus to Planet Earth (Rev. 19:11-21).

a.        “The Rapture will be a ‘stealth event’ in which Christ will be witnessed by believers only.

b.      His second coming on the other hand, will be a public event.  Everyone will see Him.  “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him” (Rev. 1:7; Zech. 14:1,3-5; Rev. 19:11-21).

c.       Second, all believers are raptured.  He will immediately take them back into heaven with Him.  But when Christ returns to earth seven years later in the Second Coming, He is coming to stay.  This return, usually refereed to as the “Second Advent,” will take place at the end of the Tribulation period and usher in the Millennium – a thousand year reign of Christ on this earth.  So, first, the Rapture will occur seven years before the Second Advent.  At that time Christ will take us to be with Him in heaven, immediately before the seven year tribulation period.  Then second, we will return to earth with Him at His Second Advent.”[2]

 

7.      There Will Be The REIGN OF CHRIST with the saints for 1000 years – the Millennium.  (Rev. 20:1-6)  This will be the Golden Age of Total Peace, Righteousness, Prosperity, etc.

 

8.      There Will Be The RESURRECTION of the wicked dead of all the ages who will stand at the Great White Throne and be confined to the Lake of Fire which is the Second Death (Rev. 21:11-15.

 

9.      There Will Be The REGENERATION  of the Natural Creation.  “The creation itself also will be set free from its slavery into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:21) for which “the whole creation groaneth…eagerly waiting” for this to come to pass

(Romans 8:22).

 

 

HOW SHOULD YOU AND I BE LIVING AS WE APPROACH THE END TIMES?

 

  1. We should be Looking and Loving the Return of the Lord.  (2 Tim. 4:8).
  2. We should be Living a Holy Life (2 Peter 3:11-12).
  3. We should be “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
  4. We should be winning the Lost.  Listen to Peter’s final word, “And remember why He is waiting.  He is giving us time to get His message of salvation out to others.: (2 Peter 15-16 -TLB.
  5. We should obey Jesus and avoid being “Ashamed” at His coming (John 2:28).
  6. In the meantime we should not be:
    1. Distressed or Decieved
    2. But Discerning and Delighted.

 

 

 

[1] Dr. David Jeremiah, p. 97

[2] Dr. David Jeremiah, What In The World Is Going On?, Thomas Nelson: Nashville, 2008. p. 100.