We
live in one of the most remarkable ages in the history of the world. It is a
notable time for many reasons, the first of which is the remarkable
technological
developments
which make yesterday's cutting-edge technology decidedly crude by today's
standards. The tide of progress continues to roll, bearing the promise
of
even more amazing developments for the days to come.
This
is also a remarkable age because of the rise of iniquity in our time. By any
standard in which wickedness can be statistically measured, the percentage
of
the increase of abominations is greater than ever before. It seems like every
week someone invents a physical, moral, or spiritual absurdity that soon
develops
into a frightening cult. Add to this the staccato gunfire of drive-by shootings
and the emergence of the drug culture and we have before us a
complicated
society. A great number of "answers" are being presented to solve the
problems of our time. Unfortunately, none of them work, partly because
God
has made life deliberately precarious so that we should be forced to trust in
Him. There will, therefore, never be a solution to the concerns of society
short
of the glorious return of Jesus Christ.
The
third-and perhaps the greatest-reason that this is a remarkable age is because
of divine forbearance. Many ask why God allows these things to happen,
why
He doesn't just kill the devil or pull every shred of iniquity out of the
world. But perceptive readers know that the answer to that question is that
God
has made man a free moral agent with the power to choose. God refuses to
interrupt that power lest man be turned into a mindless automaton with no
power
of choice.
In
the midst of this rise of iniquity, God continues to show His forbearance. Nevertheless,
the Scripture announces that man is storing up wrath for himself
against
the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will
"render to each one according to his deeds" (Romans 2:5,6). So the
fund
of
human iniquity and consequent divine judgment is building in a kind of cosmic
bank. While this is the day of grace and God is not moving in devastating
judgment,
it is also the time that iniquity is being recorded in a book that will one day
be opened. Do we see the opening of that book today? We think
so
and we certainly must allow for that possibility.
When
we think about divine forbearance, we are stating in another way that this is
the day of grace. It is not the day of judgment but rather a time in
which
this Scripture is being fulfilled: "God sent not His son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" (John
3:17).
So the day of divine condemnation is not upon us now. Be sure, however, that it
is sure to come. Because of His moral universe, nothing that is
an
exception to the perfect will of God will go unrecognized and unpunished.
Is
there a day, an era, a period in history that will be particularly
characterized by divine judgment? The answer is yes. It's called the
Tribulation.
Grace
will end one day and after that will be the day of divine judgment.
The
event that will punctuate that change is a remarkable time called "the
rapture of the church," the time in which the Lord Himself will descend
from
heaven
with a shout, taking His own-members of the body of Christ-to be with Him. That
is the time when this relatively calm and peaceful generation will
be
subject to the cyclone of the oncoming Tribulation. At that time, man, having
sown the wind, will reap the whirlwind. This very picture is given to
us
in Scripture. To face a cyclone is not a pleasant experience. God also gives us
another picture which presents the surprising, overwhelming nature of
the
oncoming of the Tribulation.
In
the early pages of Revelation (chapters 5 and 6) we see the picture that should
not be forgotten. First of all, we see a discussion in heaven concerning
the
question "who is worthy to judge the world?" The answer, found in the
Word of God, is "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches,
and
wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation
5:12). So Jesus Christ is accounted worthy to pass judgment upon the world.
The
nature of the judgment becomes most pronounced with an account of the rise of
four horsemen of the apocalypse: "And I saw, and behold a white horse:
and
he that sat on Him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him, and He went forth
conquering, and to conquer" (Revelation 6:2).
Here
we have a picture of the false Christ, the diminutive Christ. Here is presented
to us the rise of Antichrist. Indeed, during the days of the great
Tribulation,
the Antichrist will organize world politics, world religion, and many other
things to become master of the earth. His dreadful presence, empowered
by
Satan, will be felt strongly in the world. The Revelation picture continues,
"And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given unto
him
that sat thereon to take peace from the earth and that they should kill one
another" (Revelation 6:4).
So
the rider on the red horse, denoting war and death, breaks upon the world as a
frightening picture indeed. He steals peace from the earth and turns the
world
into a system of deadly anarchy.
And
when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see.
And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair
of
balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say,
A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny
(Revelation
6:5,6).
The
rider of the black horse signifies the rise of economic manipulation, indicated
by the balances carried in the hand of this deadly rider. This economic
manipulation
worsens to the point that, finally, it will take a day's pay to buy a loaf of
bread. What a picture! With this begins the Tribulation.
And
I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat upon him was Death,
and Hell followed with him.
And
power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with
sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth (verse
8).
This
dreadful fourth rider has power over a quarter part of the earth to produce
death and hell on earth. It is difficult to imagine a picture more grim
than
that set of judgments that will come upon the world, initiating the days of the
Tribulation. Here we have a whirlwind with pain, suffering, and death
inflicted
on masses of people. When we think about the direction that our present world
is taking, we can certainly learn why such a judgment will be brought
upon
us.
This
dreadful picture is followed by the account in Scripture of this awful period
of the Tribulation. If we want to know the direction in which the world
is
going, that direction is ahead of us. We are to anticipate not a utopia or a
perfect world, but an era of devastating divine judgment.
The
Tribulation Trilogy: The Tribulation Begins!
If
someone were to suggest that we are living in an amazing age, would you agree?
Certainly, all you have to do is compare the morning papers with what
the
Bible says to discover a remarkable consonance between the Word of God and what
is happening.
But
if these times are amazing, a time is coming that can only be called
"awesome." That day is so indescribable that we can hardly put into
words what
the
Bible says it will be like. Listen to what Jesus said:
For
then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the
world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should
be
shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days
shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ,
or
there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christ's, and false prophets,
and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible,
they
shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore, if
they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold,
he
is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of
the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of
the
Son of man be. For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered
together (Matthew 24:21-28).
With
these few verses, Jesus began His stunning answer to a question pressed upon
Him by His disciples. They wanted Him to tell them about the future, and
in
particular, about the world at the time of His return. In this passage alone,
the Lord spends two whole chapters describing what will happen during
the
days of the Tribulation, and then the Great Tribulation.
When
added to the many other revelations that the Bible offers about this awesome
day, a breathtaking picture comes into focus. It will be the time of Jacob's
trouble.
It will be the time of the worst carnage and the most despicable situations and
the most overwhelming impact of the judgment of God that the world
will
ever see.
If
you think that God doesn't see, that He doesn't notice, that He won't judge the
world one day, think again. The judgment of God during the Great Tribulation
will
be absolutely indescribable.
Notice
what the Bible says about the beginning of the Tribulation, remembering that we
live in the Day of Grace, not the Day of the Tribulation. The Day
of
the Tribulation will be a seven-year period that begins the Day of the Lord.
The apostle Paul specifically wants the Church to understand that the Day
of
the Tribulation, the Day of the Lord, has not yet begun:
Now
we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our
gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be
troubled,
neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of
the Lord is present ... for that day shall not come, except there
come
a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (2
Thessalonians 2:1-3).
Then
the apostle Paul gives us some characteristics that the world will attain that
will give fair warning to a future generation (perhaps this generation)
that
the Tribulation is about to begin.
The
Bible does not teach that man is going to bring to pass a perfect society. It
does not teach that utopia will be fashioned by clever human beings. Rather,
it
teaches that we live in a deteriorating world. One day, that deterioration will
get so bad that it will turn, literally, into the judgment of God. So
to
think that the world is getting better and better is to have a false view,
false optimism about life. To be realistic, we must remember that the Bible
says
there is coming a day called the Tribulation.
Do
we have that settled? I hope so. And I hope that we each have seen through the
flimsy theories of the spiritualizers who say, "Well, this is the
Tribulation,
because
problems happen to us," and all of that. Listen: The sum of all the
problems people have endured from the beginning of time until now are almost
nothing
compared to what will happen during those days of the Tribulation!
Now,
when we begin to think deeply and soberly about that, which we should, we start
to ask, "How will we know that maybe we are getting close to it? If
that
day is indeed drawing near, what are the signs that could alert us?" That
is exactly the question that was asked of Jesus by His disciples. Matthew
24
says:
And
as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately,
saying, "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign
of
thy coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).
The
disciples had the opportunity for a private conversation with the Lord Jesus.
He responded to their inquiry by telling them several things. First of
all,
He said that when we think about moving into the future, there are at least two
conditions that we will face at all times. One, we will face the possibility
of
spiritual subversion, spiritual warfare.
'For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many"
(Matthew 24:5).
And
the second perennial condition, He said, will be: "... ye shall hear of
wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled..." Matthew 24:6.
Now,
do we have spiritual warfare and physical warfare moving strongly across the
world? Of course. More than 40 physical wars in our world are currently
being
fought, in addition to a great deal of spiritual warfare, contending with
principalities and powers, something even more than physical forces. Perhaps
you've
been involved in this kind of contention. Perhaps you'd be one who would say
very quickly, "We have experienced this type of spiritual warfare."
It's
going to happen. Look for satanic opposition. Look for events that will show
that the devil is frustrated by your spiritual production. Be involved
in
spiritual warfare. Those conditions have always been with us, and will increase
as we come to the end of the Church Age.
Then,
almost like a road that leads into the Tribulation, there will come a specific
period of time which Christ called "the beginning of sorrows." He
said:
For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye
shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that ye be not troubled;
for
all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines,
and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in various places. All these are the beginning of
sorrows (Matthew 24:5-8).
The
period of time called the "beginning of sorrows" is best described as
that bridge of events that takes us out of the Church Age and into the
Tribulation.
That
Beginning of Sorrows, Christ said, will have five characteristics:
nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be
famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes.... (Matthew 24:7).
Do
we see nation rising against nation (the word "ethnos" means racial
animosity, racial warfare, among people)? Yes! At the root of almost every war
going
today,
like those in Africa, and the Middle East, and Ireland, lies racial animosity.
And
then kingdom ("archon," rulers, political things) shall rise against
kingdom. I've been mystified many times by the question, "Why do people
fight with
one
another? What is the real reason someone packs a rifle or a knapsack and gets
into an airplane and goes off to kill as many people as possible? To
take
over real estate? What is that? Why do people do this?" Well, James, of
course, answered the question by saying:
From
where come wars and fightings among you? Come they not here, even of your lusts
that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire
to
have, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it
upon
your lusts (James 4:1-3).
People
go to war because they don't know how to get God's provision for themselves and
for their nation, so they decide to take it from somebody else. It
is
totally irrational. Usually, thousands or even millions die in the process.
Millions died in World War 11, tens of thousands in recent wars. When it's
all
over, what do you have? Perhaps a surrender, or a cease-fire, or economic
sanctions, or a blockade. But before too long, you're back to square one
as
if nothing happened. It is totally silly, but it is done. Such wars will
increase, Jesus said, as we move toward the end of the age. Famine, pestilence,
and
earthquakes were three more things.
Famine:
people without enough to eat. By the way, in a world like ours, if people are
hungry, it isn't generally because there is no food. It's because
the
supply of food has been interdicted by some political intervention. Food is a
weapon of warfare in today's abrasion between nations.
Pestilence:
pestilence is sickness that is out of control. Daily on television you hear of
this: the AIDS epidemic, the Ebola virus, alcoholism out of control,
and
other forms of disease. What do we do about this? The world doesn't know.
Earthquakes
will also characterize this time called the Beginning of Sorrows.
Do
we live in the Tribulation now? No we don't. This is a different age. In this
age, we have a set of principles that are really quite astonishing, operating
between
God and man. God deals with man by grace. The Bible says about the coming of
Jesus Christ:
For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through him might be saved (John 3:17).
Consequently,
I'm sure you have shared the frustration of many who have wondered why wicked
people do not immediately come under the judgment of God. It
seems
as if there is a strange, almost illogical forbearance. "God ought to have
stricken them dead," we think, but He has not.
Some
who desire the vengeance of God, ask, "Why doesn't God do something? How
come He hasn't come back and ended the terrible situation going on in the
world
today?" I think we must remind ourselves why we have such a terrible
situation in the world at all! The Bible says about Adam and Eve:
Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed
upon all men, for all have sinned (Romans 5:12).
The
reasons for the problems of the world are not lack of education, lack of
knowledge, lack of economics, or the lack of clever ideas. They're not even
crooked
politicians. At the root of all the problems of the world is the fact that the
world is corrupted by sin, and every person in it is a sinner. For
all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Sin
not only exists, but it is progressive. The Bible says: sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:15). The implication is that sin grows
and
grows, like a terrible contagion, which it is. Finally, people drop into total
dissipation, so that they cannot resist the dreadful force of sin.
When
the world goes past that point of no return, then it's time for the
Tribulation. Until then, God speaks to the wickedest of people and says,
"By grace
are
ye saved. Come unto Me. I will give you rest." You have every right from
God to talk to Godless sinners and tell them, "Okay, Jesus came not 'to
call
the
righteous, but the sinners to repentance' (Matthew 9:13). And God deals with
you by grace. So if you will believe the gospel, the message that 'Christ
died
for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he
rose again the third day according to the scriptures'(1 Corinthians
15:3,4),
you can be saved."
You
can tell that to the wickedest of people, and God will save them, because
believing in Jesus Christ is the one single prerequisite for salvation.
But
there is coming a time when that will no longer be true. The Bible says that
man is treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous
judgment of God, Who will render to every man according to his deeds (Romans
2:5,6).
So
there is coming a day, subsequent to this, in which divine vengeance is the way
that God will deal with a lost mankind. There's a lot of difference,
then,
between this day, and the day of the coming Tribulation. What will be the line
of demarcation? How will we know that we have moved from the Day of
Grace
to the Day of the Tribulation?
The
answer is a tremendous event called the Rapture of the Church. 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 who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to
meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore,
comfort one another with these words (I Thessalonians 4:16-18).
You
see, Jesus Christ is not simply coming at the end of the Tribulation, which He
will do. But before the Tribulation, at the end of the Day of Grace,
He
is coming to take all believers out of this world.
Behold,
I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet
shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1
Corinthians 15:51,52).
The
Rapture ends the Day of Grace and begins the Day of the Tribulation. So the
Tribulation does not just gradually come upon the world, as does the Beginning
of
Sorrows, but it will be marked by an instantaneous and cataclysmic event-the
removal of the Church from Planet Earth. So remember, the Rapture is important
for
many things, but its chief importance is that it marks the end of the epoch of
grace and the beginning of the dispensation of the
Tribulation.
That fact is a source of comfort and help and solace for every Child of God.
When
the Church is taken out of the world, the wrath of God will finally be
unleashed. God will be perfectly free to work His judgment upon people. Why
has
God not sent His judgment upon the world already? Answer: the Church is here.
We protect the world. Society is still around because we are still here.
The
presence of the Church in the world forestalls final judgment by God. God has
spoken to every Christian, and reminded us:
For
God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9). We are "justified freely by his grace"
(Romans
3:24).
There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus...
(Romans 8: 1).
But
watch for that moment when the Church is taken up, and the wrath of God falls
upon a wicked world.
I
have viewed the Tribulation as a sort of historic necessity, given the attitude
of men today. People today, in their arrogance, say, "We don't need God.
We
can run the world." Atheism is prevalent in our world. Millions of people
are atheists, and they say, "We are masters of our own destiny." The
average
academician
is an atheist, and he's teaching our young people that there is no God, and
they are autonomous, and they can manage their own destiny. There's
even
a theory going in the world of academia that evolution has brought us to the
place where we can control our own evolution. Name the future that you
want,
and you've got it. Well, God has a way of giving us the opportunity of having
our own way, does He not? God, in the final analysis, has given men
a
free will. They can choose what they will believe in the life that they will
live, but they've got to pay the consequences. Well, God speaks in a sense
to
the world that remains after the Rapture, and He says, "Now, you've been
so smart, you've been so presumptuous, you say you can run the world, have
it
your way." Man's day then comes to pass, in which autonomous man is in
charge of the world.
Will
that be a good thing for the world? Will you be happy and overjoyed to see that
scoundrel, who once served as your ward committeeman, now sitting on
some
throne somewhere as the master of Earth? Will you be ready to place your faith
in the philosophy of your con-artist neighbor, who wrote a book on
how
to run the world under a religion of his own invention? How will it be, when
the whole world is in violation of the statement of Scripture which says:
There
is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death (Proverbs 16:25).
How
will it be when the world is in violation of the statement of the Bible which
says: For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which
is
Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11).
How
will it be, when there suddenly is only man to depend upon? I've listened to
many a lecture on a university campus, and, of course, seen and heard many
of
the same things you have heard and seen on television, and I've been absolutely
astonished at the arrogance of people who think they know it all. Their
haughtiness
approaches a strange insanity.
Take,
for instance, one subject, among the dozens that we could refer to. About the
matter of marriage, the Bible says: Therefore shall a man leave his
father
and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh (Genesis
2:24).
That
shall be a new entity, a marriage, man and woman. Well, they are now passing
laws excusing and even advocating same-sex marriages. Now look: that's
not
just a clever sociological opinion. That's insanity. That's perversion. But a
world that pretends to be sophisticated says, "Well, isn't that a nice
new
idea about what marriage ought to be?"
Now
everybody in his right mind, who has not been subverted by becoming an expert
on the subject, and who still thinks straight, knows this is insanity.
But
he is disquieted by the fact that it's these kind of people, with dislocated
minds, who aspire to run the world in the days to come.
Are
they going to master the world? The answer is no. They are going to bring to
pass a day in the history of mankind so shameful, so frightening, so terrible,
so
fatal to masses of people that the Bible says:
Except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved... (Matthew
24:22).
You
see, man, having treasured up mounds of sin, will come under the fury of an
offended God. You ought to read the classic early American sermon,
"Sinners
in
the Hands of an Angry God." Jonathan Edwards put it rather well. An angry
God has planned a day of vengeance. It's called the Tribulation. Please miss
it,
by being a part of the Rapture of the Church.
One
of the characters that will play a telling role during the days of the
Tribulation is this monster called the Antichrist. Listen for just a moment to
what
the Bible says about him. Paul writes to the people at Thessalonica:
Now
we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our
gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be
troubled,
neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of
the Lord is present (2 Thessalonians 2:1,2).
Remember,
the Day of the Lord is that period of time that comes after the time of the
Church Age, after the Day of Grace. Don't let anyone tell you that
the
Day of the Lord is going on now.
Let
no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come
the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition
(2 Thessalonians 2:3).
Do
not let anyone tell you that this is the time of divine wrath. That day shall
not come until there is a falling away first. The word is
"apostasia,"
meaning
"to stand away from where you used to stand." It is translated
"apostasy." The apostasy will first come, before the Day of the Lord
comes.
Then,
Paul says, will the "man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
Here Paul introduces a character that will be of consequence during the days of
the
Tribulation. And what does he call him? The great benefactor of mankind? No.
The "man of sin" will be revealed, the man whose fundamental nature
is
sin.
He is the embodiment of sin.
the
son of perdition, Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshiped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of
God,
showing himself that he is God (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4).
This
vast, presumptuous impostor will present himself to the world as "the man
with a plan." The revealing of that man will introduce the days of the
Tribulation.
I
have an opinion. God tells Christians a lot of details about the man of sin
that the world doesn't know about. And I do believe the implication is that
we,
if we are perceptive, will be able to recognize the oncoming of the man of sin.
While the world does not suspect that he is the Antichrist, he will
be
obvious enough to perceptive Christians so we will be able to say, "There
he is," and prepare for the almost immediate Rapture of the Church.
The
wrath of the Antichrist, which contributes to the day of wrath, the
Tribulation, is also described in many other locations in the Word of God.
Revelation
6
gives us the picture of the horsemen of the Apocalypse. It says the rider of
the first horse is on a white horse. He will present a great plan to the
world.
And this rider on the first horse goes forth "conquering, and to
conquer" (Revelation 6:2).
This
cruel monster of a person, the Antichrist, will make great gains until he
becomes master of Earth. If you think that the Antichrist's rise is possible
now,
you are thinking correctly. So one source of wrath, during the "day of
wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God," will be the wrath
of
the
Antichrist.
We
want to suggest also that that will be a time in which nature itself turns
against man. The rider of the fourth horse of the Apocalypse rides upon the
pale
horse, and the Bible says:
And
power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with
sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth
(Revelation
6:8).
The
suggestion is that the beasts of the field, maybe even domestic animals now,
will be a part of that whole spirit of the devil that turns against humanity.
The
very animals of which we are familiar will be enrolled on the side of the
devil.
Imagine
a house cat that suddenly becomes very vicious, and exercises some kind of
killer instincts. Nature itself will seem to rebel against mankind, engined
by
the power of Satan. There's quite a chapter in the Book of Revelation that
talks about one of the impacts of nature against man. One of the
characteristics,
the
Bible says, of the final days, will be that nature joins this rebellion and
comes down upon man. Actually, Revelation 6 gives us quite a description:
And
the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain
and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth,
and
the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men,
and every slave, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in
the
rocks of the mountains, And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and
hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath
of the Lamb; For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to
stand? (Revelation 6:14-17).
Earthquakes
will characterize that time. But what I would have us notice is, the wrath of
the Lamb is so terrible and strikes such fear in the lives of
people
that they consider an earthquake that actually covers them up to be preferable
to the wrath of Jesus Christ.
Think
of "gentle Jesus, meek and mild," being what characterized the days
of His earthly ministry, but also remember something else: In the day of His
judgment,
He
is the one whose "eyes were like aflame of fire" (Revelation 19:12).
He is the one whose countenance is as the sun which shines in its strength.
Yes,
He
is the one who is going to be the ultimate Judge of mankind. So devastating
will that judgment be, that even the rebellion of nature will seem comforting
and
sanguine by comparison to the wrath of Jesus Christ, and facing the days of His
wrath during those hours of the Great Tribulation.
So
the wrath of God is going to be poured upon the world. In fact, the Bible uses
those very illustrations. There will be the series of trumpet judgments,
and
then the bowl judgments in which God's judgment is poured upon the world in
absolutely devastating fashion. One should tremble at this prospect of
the
wrath of God coming upon the world. But that's the way it will be, during the
days of the Great Tribulation. Therefore, once again, do not think of
the
future of man as being a sweet and sanguine thing, but the future of man is to
fall under the wrath of God.
Once
again, we should remind ourselves that there is one interdiction of that wrath,
one way to avoid the wrath of God. What is that?
There
is, therefore, now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).
If
you are a Christian, having believed the gospel, you may have been ten times a
sinner before that, but if you will believe in the finished work of Jesus
on
the cross, and trust Him as your personal Savior, you are not to fear the wrath
to come. Why? Because you have a date with destiny. You're going to
be
taken home to heaven, to be with the Lord Jesus. When thinking of divine wrath,
remember, it is Calvary that saves us from that awful eventuality. In
times
like these, that should not only bring reassurance, but motivate us to become
articulate witnesses for Christ, so that we may help others escape
the
coming wrath.
We
are also told that there will be the wrath of Satan himself. Listen to what the
Scripture says: For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because
he knoweth that he hath but a short time (Revelation 12:12).
We
have the statement in Scripture that the clock will be ticking against the
devil and his plans. He will realize this. He doesn't have an omniscient or
an
omnipotent mind, but he'll be smart enough to realize that that clock is
ticking! He'll come to the point where he realizes that if he's going to make
that
big play for the world and ever hope to capture everything, he'd better get
with it now. So he comes forth with "great wrath, because he knoweth that
he
hath but a short time."
Now,
because he is angry to the point of irrational fury against God, what does he
do? Well, the Scripture indicates several things. First of all, he puts
together
and attempts to manage and run a world government. All of the nations of the
world are enrolled in his cause. But I particularly am interested
in
the fact that he will have a set of sinews that he wants to hold that world
government together, and that set of sinews is a world religion.
In
fact, Revelation 13 tells about a religion that Satan organizes. That religion
has several characteristics. It will be satanic. The Bible says it will
cause
people to worship the devil who is behind it all (Revelation 13:4). Secondly,
it will be humanistic. They will worship the beast (Revelation 13:4).
That's
the Antichrist. The Antichrist will offer himself, wearing a white robe, and
present a great plan as the religious modulator of all mankind. They
will
worship a human being. Thirdly, it will be universal. The Antichrist will
organize a religion as big as the whole world. The whole world will be called
upon
to worship him (Revelation 13:8). Fourthly, it will be ecumenical. It will be
the kind of theology that everyone can believe.
We
all should be concerned about bad theology. Bad theology may only seem silly
when it is first heard, but if given the chance to carry the day, it can
quickly
become fatal! Bad theology will characterize the religion of the Antichrist and
the attempt of Satan to organize a world religion, because it will
produce
a "lowest common denominator" type of religion. People are getting
together today, saying, "Unity and understanding and love-that should be
the
whole
story of religion. That should be the basis on which we put together a world
religious movement."
Any
cooperative program must be characterized by good theology. That's hard to come
by in today's world. But the world then will have a low common denominator,
such
as "God is love," or "life has a lot of possibilities," and
all will be called upon to believe that and make it the sole basis of their
worship.
Also,
Revelation 13 says the religion of the Antichrist will be phenomenalistic. That
means he will give you something that will satisfy the sight of your
eyes.
I've noticed something that concerns me, and that is, that so many religions,
even Protestant religions, want to be so obvious, so phenomenalistic,
and
to have great visible and material things, such as vaulted buildings, for you
to see.
Well,
the Antichrist is going to use that big-time. He causes fire to come down from
heaven in the sight of all the people who are worshiping him (Revelation
13:13).
They look and say, "Wow. Look at that. He can control the forces of
nature. He must be the man to believe in." This fire from heaven will be
impressive.
Chapter
13 tells us that the prophet of the Antichrist will be empowered to work
miracles, in order to give credibility to the things he is saying to people
(Revelation
13:14). So his phenomenalistic religion will be hugely successful. Also, the
Bible says that religion will be idolatrous. He will make an image.
That
image will be able to speak like a man (Revelation 13:15). That image will say,
"Worship me. I represent to you the great man who runs the world."
That
idolatrous copy of the person and the personality of the Antichrist will be set
up in the Temple. The setting up of that image gives us the last characteristic
of
that evil world religion, and that is, it will be terribly cruel. Whoever does
not worship that image is put to death (Revelation 13:15).
Finally,
the greatest wrath imaginable will be the very wrath of God. The Bible does not
simply tell us that God is love. It also Tells us: It is a fearful
thing
to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). It tells us that it
is not a sanguine activity to just get along with God on any basis.
But
you must be His friend, or else His fearful wrath will come upon you. The time
of the Great Tribulation, particularly the last 31/2 years of it, is
the
time of divine wrath. Lesser forms of it impact upon the world during the first
half of the Tribulation, but the last half of the Tribulation, that
is
the wrath of God! Those are the days of which Jesus was speaking when He said:
Except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.... (Matthew
24:22).
We've
already read the passage from Revelation 6 where the kings of the Earth and the
great rulers cry to the mountains and rocks, and say:
Fall
on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb; For the great day of his wrath is come, and who
shall
be able to stand? (Revelation 6:16,17).
When
will we learn that there is no sin that is forgotten? When will we learn that
everything is recorded before God?
All
things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do
(Hebrews 4:13).
When
will we learn that? Well, mankind will certainly learn it in the days of the
Tribulation. We will certainly learn that nothing is forgotten by an omnipotent
God.
And when the wrath of God is come, the Bible asks the question, "who shall
be able to stand?"
It's
worth emphasizing at this point, that everything in the world that is not of
God will be washed away one day. Every house, every car, every nation,
every
political system, every everything that is not centered in the Person of Jesus
Christ, and does not admit that He is Lord-it all will be gone one
day,
and the wrath of God will be poured out on the world.
The
Bible gives us the offer of being in the Lamb's book of Life. That is a
marvelous act of love. But do you know what else it says? That very verse says:
This
is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14,15).
I
did not write that, but God did. There is not only a heaven to gain, but there
is a hell to shun. And that hell is only shunned by believing in Jesus
Christ,
and trusting in Him as personal Savior. When the wrath of God comes upon the
world, then it will be too late. Then, those who are lost will be
lost
forever. And those who are saved will be saved forever, when the great day of
His wrath comes upon the world.
"
When I recall that God is just," said Abraham Lincoln, "I fear for my
country." The justice of God still reigns across the whole world. That
justice will
come
upon the world in absolutely smashing fashion in that day of divine wrath.
So
remember again. The Day of the Lord is not some happy circumstance for those
who do not know the Lord. The Day of the Lord is blood and fire and vapor
and
smoke, and divine wrath poured upon every soul of man that doeth evil, the
Bible says.
People
used to talk about how they looked forward to the Day of the Lord, back in the
Old Testament, because that would make life easy. It would be a time
of
deliverance. Many of the prophets had to remind the people of Israel,
"Don't you look forward to the Day of the Lord, because the Day of the
Lord will
overtake
you as a thief in the night. The Day of the Lord will overtake you as judgment
that you could not foresee, and the very things in which you have
placed
your affection will all be gone!"
Those
same powerful words must be said to this generation. This generation must hear
that there is coming a time of divine judgment upon the world that
will
embrace every man and every woman. It will cover everything done in the body.
The Day of the Lord will be that exacting.
Therefore,
what should we do? We should avoid the Day of the Lord and that great judgment
by doing one primary thing: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and
thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
There
is, therefore, now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.... (Romans
8:1). One of the great stimulants to being a Christian, to having everlasting
life,
is to see the oncoming Day of the Lord. How do I avoid that day? I believe the
gospel. I say that wonderful "Yes" to Jesus Christ. I trust Him as
my
personal Savior. When I do that, I am delivered from the wrath to come, and I
have God's gift of life everlasting. Be sure that you are in that great
plan
by knowing Jesus as your very own. Except Those Days Be Shortened...
Remember
again two verses that Christ tells us about the Tribulation: For then shall be
great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world
to
this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall
be
shortened (Matthew 24:21,22).
Now,
when we read of all that's going to happen during the Tribulation, we get a
little explanation as to why these days will have to be shortened. For
instance,
just before Christ said that, He said: When ye, therefore, shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in
the
holy place (whosoever readeth, let him understand), Then let them who are in
Judea flee into the mountains; Let him who is on the housetop not come
down
to take anything out of his house; Neither let him who is in the field return
back to take his clothes. And woe unto those who are with child, and
to
those who nurse children in those days! (Matthew 24:15-19).
This
describes quite an eventful time in the history of the world which will be a
terrible time of opposition to those who know the Lord. But in the midst
of
it, also, Jesus says:
And
because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold. But he that
shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved (Matthew 24:12,13).
This
is a good time to drop a note that will be helpful in our thinking. Endure to
the end. That's the basis of salvation during the days of the Tribulation.
Christ
is not talking about the Church, and the Gospel of the Grace of God, and
preaching salvation by endurance for Christians. Rather, He is speaking
about
resolute, intrepid people who endure the opposition of the devil and the
Antichrist and society during this day approaching the Tribulation. Then,
when
the Tribulation is done, having endured, they will be the first to go into the
Kingdom. Notice also that Jesus said:
And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).
We
should then remember that the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Gospel of the Grace
of God are two different things. The Gospel of the Kingdom says, "the
kingdom
of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). When one believes this, he becomes a
part of the Kingdom of Heaven. He becomes a proselyte to the Jewish
nation,
the inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven. He will be a part of that group that
inherits the Earth forever. That's the result of believing the Gospel
of
the Kingdom.
But
the Gospel of the Grace of God produces a different result: you become an
inheritor of eternity.
Whether
Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things
present, or things to come; all are yours, And ye are Christ's, and Christ
is
God's (I Corinthians 3:22,23).
Think
of the Scripture that says: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?"
(Romans
8:32).
That
is what is inherited by the believing Christian in the world today. I beg of
you, please learn the difference between the Body of Christ (which is
the
Church) and Israel (God's chosen people). The human destiny of Israel is to
inherit the world, but the destiny of the Church is to inherit the universe.
If
we have that clear, we'll understand these chapters. So first of all, consider
the prophecy that the days of the Tribulation will be shortened, and
the
promise by Jesus Christ that they will be.
As
the effect of the Tribulation grows, a thought will come into the mind of the
Antichrist. He says, "I've got control of the United States, except for
a
few little pockets of resistance. I've got control of Canada. I've got total
control of Latin America. I've got great control of Europe. I've got other
nations
of the world that are in my retinue. I can say almost without fear of
contradiction that I control the world. Except, the contradiction is those
irascible
people in Israel. Those Jews that will not be converted to my cause, those Jews
that profess to believe in Jehovah God-what am I going to do
about
this?"
And
so he conspires to produce a tremendous action to destroy the nation of Israel
and the city of Jerusalem. He raises a military contingent from all of
the
nations of the world. Then he calls that military contingent to the conquest of
Israel, and particularly the siege of the city of Jerusalem. It's quite
a picture.
If you want to know what the Bible says about this, consider Psalm 2 and
Zechariah chapters 10-12. It is described in Scripture as being mounted
by
the Antichrist to destroy the remembrance of God in the world. Psalm 2 says:
Why
do the nations rage, and the peoples imagine a vain thing? The kings of the
earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the
Lord,
and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us. He who sitteth in the heavens shall laugh;
the
Lord shall have them in derision ... Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill
of Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou
are
my Son; this day have I begotten thee (Psalm 2:1-4,6,7).
The
second Psalm is a great source of reassurance that God is in control of every
situation at every time. But He particularly resists this great conspiracy
against
the people of Israel mounted by the Antichrist, whereby the Antichrist hopes to
destroy the final remembrance of God in the world.
It's
an interesting thing to see, and it does, of course, give us insight into the
heart of wicked men at all times. If a person does not know Christ as
personal
Savior, the chances are that he will move through successive periods of
degeneration, until finally he becomes a reprobate.
By
this time, the world has a reprobate on the throne, the Antichrist, the man of
sin, the son of perdition. And it is this reprobate idea that says, "I
can
be the king of the world. I can be the lord of the universe, and nothing can
stand in my way." "Oh, no you won't," says the Bible. "It
won't happen."
I
thought of this one time when I was in Germany. I was out at Berchtesgarten,
and looked up at what they called the "Eagle's Nest" at the top of
this great
mountain.
That was the small palace that Hitler built for himself. He went up there only
a few times after he built that palace, and looked out. Because
it's
the highest mountain in the area, you can see almost forever, 360 degrees. I'm
sure that he looked out those windows, and said, "I control it all.
The
1,000 year Reich, it will be mine. Nothing can stand in my way. Those idiot
people that couldn't resist, they have all been done away with. Now I will
be
the master of all I survey."
Being
a megalomaniac, he told himself how he could be the master of the universe. Did
he become the master of the Earth, the world's Antichrist of his day?
He
did not. God, who sits in the heavens, laughed at this posturing little moral
and spiritual pygmy. And of course, the end of Hitler was not Berchtesgarten,
and
overcoming and overwhelming the world. The end of Hitler was a flaming corpse
in the government building in Berlin, as Russian guns were going off
in
every direction, and the place was having the daylights burned out of it.
That
was presumption. And there's coming a day when the very same thing is going to
happen to the Antichrist. He will be destroyed. He will be discomfited.
The
end of his mission will be in the gigantic defeat of his forces in the environs
of the city of Jerusalem.
How
will the Antichrist be destroyed? You may be very surprised at the answer to
that question, because you, if you are a Christian, are personally involved.
The
destruction of the Antichrist and the deliverance of the people of Israel will
take place because of a very particular group of people, who accompany
the
Lord in the accomplishment of that tremendous mission.
Did
you know that there will be an invasion of this Earth from heaven, an invasion
not just of Jesus coming alone, but with a mighty, mighty army with Him
at
its head? I can tell you now that nothing will be able to stand in the path of
that invasion. Listen to where this is described in Scripture, lest you
suspect
that I'm inventing these things as we go along.
And
I saw heaven opened and, behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war
(Revelation
19:11).
So,
we have a white horse coming from heaven. The name of the rider is
"Faithful and True," and who is that? Jesus Christ the faithful
Witness, the true
Witness.
"In righteousness he doth judge and make war." Who is the final Judge
of history? Christ is. Who has the responsibility of righting every wrong?
Christ
does. He judges and makes war.
His
eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a
name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with
a
vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies
that were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white
and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should
smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he
treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Revelation
19:12-15).
Think
of that description of the wrath of God, represented by the faithful and true
Witness, who is Jesus Christ.
And
he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD
OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16).
There's
no doubt that this is Jesus Christ. The picture that John sees is Jesus Christ
coming back from heaven, riding on a white horse. Now, there's an
element
in this return that has interested me for a long time:
And
the armies that were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine
linen, white and clean (Revelation 19:14).
Since
the beginning of the Tribulation, where will the Church have been? In heaven.
The Church will have gone through an experience called the Judgment
Seat
of Christ, and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. At that time, it is
"clothed in fine linen, white and clean." But then the announcement
is made to
Christians,
the Church in heaven with God, that there's still a very serious piece of
unfinished business that needs to be done in the world. That is to
depose
the Antichrist, and to pronounce the judgment of God upon the devil. They will
be instruments in bringing that to pass.
So
Jesus Christ comes back, not alone, but He brings the Church with Him. How do
we know this? Well, Jude quotes Enoch as saying about Jesus: "Behold, the
Lord
cometh with ten thousands of his saints" (Jude 14).
Now
a saint is a Christian. There is no such thing as Saint Somebody, or Saint
Somebody Else, as unique Christians who are awarded sainthood through the
vote
of some committee. Rather, all of us who have been saved by grace, given the
gift of imputed righteousness, are "hagios" -the holy ones, by virtue
of
the holiness of Jesus Christ. We are saints. These are saints returning with
the Lord Jesus, the saints of God, "ten thousands of his saints."
By
this time, the armies that surround the city of Jerusalem have every reason to
expect that they will conquer the place. Yet, they look up, and see a
massive
military contingent coming back from heaven, sweeping down out of the skies,
and taking them out of the way like nothing! They will be utterly
destroyed.
That army will be scattered all over the place. There will be millions who die.
And there will be a special thing that is done with reference
to
the devil and the Antichrist. The Scripture says that the Antichrist will be
thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20), and the devil will be
thrown
into the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3). He is kept prisoner there for 1000
years.
You
may say, "That's a lot of arrogant presumption. Christians returning with
Jesus Christ? Who do you think you are to say that?" Well, the Scripture
says
that.
In fact, did you know that the Bible says that the saints, that is, Christians,
shall judge the world? Did you know that the Bible says that the
saints
shall judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-3)?
The
devil, as you know, is an angel. Therefore, the devil will be a part of this
group that is judged by you, and by me. There are people who have been
done
to death by the activity of Satan. But they will see him again, standing in
judgment before them. We will be a part of that tribunal that makes right
everything
that is wrong in the world.
As
a part of the army of Jesus Christ we will return to conquer. We will inherit
the universe. The Bible says:
Whether
Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things
present, or things to come; all are yours, And ye are Christ's, and Christ
is
God's (1 Corinthians 3:22,23).
It's
no small thing to be a Christian. It is to be an inheritor of the universe. But
I'm sure that you get the picture. A mighty invasion, the saints come
back,
and the saints do away with those armies that are in the process of conquering
the nation of Israel. Israel is delivered by the Church, it is the
Christians
who will deliver the nation of Israel.
Then,
of course, finally, we must mention that the Tribulation ends. Remember Jesus
said, "And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved...
" (Matthew 24:22).
Well,
the days were ended. How? By this invasion from heaven, in which Christ comes
again. We are the ones who shorten the dreadful days of the Great Tribulation.
We
are the ones who relieve the siege of the city of Jerusalem. And we are the
ones who say to the world, "Here is the Lord; now you are free."
During
the Tribulation, there will have been many who have accepted the Lord, and
believe the Gospel of the Kingdom. And what will happen as a result of
that
faith for them? When the Tribulation ends by the return of Christ, He will
come, and not only deliver the nation of Israel, but He will set up His
Kingdom.
Where will the capital of that Kingdom be? Jerusalem, the Holy City, called the
"city of the great King" (Psalm 48:2) in the Old Testament. He
will
establish His throne there, and He will reign over the world for 1000 amazing
and remarkable years.
We
call this the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. During that Millennial Reign,
there will be peace. No one will be able to make war. There will be prosperity.
Everyone
will have his own possessions. There will be the opportunity to confer with the
great King. In fact, the people who do not come to do obeisance
to
the great King, will not receive rain where they are. And the world will know a
marvelous array of riches for every person that will be beyond description.
Why
do you suppose God does this? God does this because He wants the world to know
the prosperity they could have known all of the time, had they elected
to
believe in, and to follow Jesus Christ. Why do we have problems in the world
today? It's because man chose to live in sin, rather than to pursue the
righteousness of God.<