A Study Of Paul's Teaching About The Rapture & Tribulation Period In 1 & 2 Thessalonians

Introduction:

  In our last post, here, http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/03/a-study-of-jesus-teachings-about.html,  we explored what Jesus had to teach on the tribulation period in His sermon on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. We focused upon how His teaching advanced our understanding of the Bible's overall teaching on the tribulation at the end of this age. We also made some remarks on why the rapture of the church does not appear in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, while commenting that He does introduce the rapture in His later institution of the Lord's Supper in John 14:1-3.

    As noted in a previous post, scholar Dr. Tim LaHaye has counted nearly fifty Old Testament passages and fifteen New Testament texts that refer to the Tribulation period. I recall reading of how other than Paul's letters to the Thessalonians, we see no other mention of the Tribulation period in the New Testament Epistles. This is very telling. 

    As the late John Walvoord once noted in a conference on the rapture and tribulation, the absence of mention of the tribulation period in the Epistles (save 1 and 2 Thessalonians of course) gives another argument for placing the rapture prior to the Tribulation period. 

    Thus what follows concerns Paul's teaching on the Tribulation in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. As will be discovered, the only reason He mentions this event is to contrast it with the rapture and to serve warning to those who may not yet be believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.   

Paul's teaching on the Rapture & Tribulation period. 

    Jesus significantly advances our understanding of the Bible's overall teaching on the tribulation period. Whenever we come to the writings of the Apostle Paul, we find there are two main passages in his writings the deal with the Tribulation Period (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). In both passages, Paul discusses the tribulation period in light of the rapture of the church. 

    Unlike what we saw in Jesus' teaching on the tribulation, Paul treats the tribulation period in its relationship to the rapture of the church. We discover that the tribulation will follow the rapture. Paul's extensive knowledge of the Old Testament, as well as His careful distinctions about the church in the rapture, informs how He presents this subject of the triublation. The first of these passages, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, is worth outlining to see how it treats the Tribulation period:

I. The swiftness of God's wrath at the end of the tribulation will be avoided by believers 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

    The Apostle Paul undoubtedly is using this phrase "day of the Lord" in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

"Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape."

    In our last post, we briefly looked at the usage and appearance of the phrase "The day of the Lord". This term, as it describes the final outpouring of God's wrath on the earth, is spoken of in Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 10:3; Isaiah 13:9; Isaiah 34:2; Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 61:2; Ezekiel 30:3; Amos 5:18; Zephaniah 1:7. 

    To grasp the nature of the Day of the Lord as revealed in Scripture, as well as to understand why the church won't have to endure it, gives us a strong argument for the rapture occuring before the tribulation period.

    The beginning of the Day of the Lord will begin at the same time as the rapture or shortly before it. As we saw in my recent posts on the rapture, the Lord's gathering of His church to Himself will occur with no preceding signs - meaning it will be "imminent" or will occur at anytime. The Day of the Lord (i.e. covering The Tribulation period, 2nd coming of Jesus to earth, His thousand year reign, see especially Joel 2-3) will begin in the same manner - suddenly and imminently. 

    Paul emphasizes this point of  "imminency" in 1 Thessalonians 5:1 (see the citation of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 above). Furthermore, in noting the timeframe of the Day of the Lord, I would argue that the "Day of the Lord" will cover the entire seven-year tribulation period, and not just a portion of it. 2 

II. The severity of wrath of the Great Tribulation (final 3 1/2 years) will be avoided by Christians in the church right now. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9

    So we have seen that the "Day of the Lord", which will include the entire Tribulation period, will come swiftly, at anytime. The Apostle Paul appears to be working backwards from the end of the seven-year tribulation period to its mid-point. Whenever you compare Paul's presentation of the tribulation period to that of Jesus' in Matthew 24-25, you discover that this section of 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9 corresponds to Matthew 24:21-41. In terms of what we noted earlier, Jesus refers to the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation period as "The Great Tribulation". 

    So the question is: would Paul's readers (and us) have to worry about the severity of wrath in that final half of the future tribulation? Paul's answer is "no". Now with that said, Paul uses the truth of the coming tribulation to tell his readers to be on the "alert" and "on their guard". Like any church, the church at Thessalonica had a mixture of "true believers" and "make-believers". 

    For those people who think they are "o.k" with God and thus can live in ease, it is those people who need to be the most alarmed. Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians 5, connected with his continuing discussion of the rapture from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, gives people a warning and a chance to escape the coming wrath by trusting in Christ as Savior, Lord, and Treasure (see 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Like Jesus before him, the Apostle Paul is referencing the coming Tribulation period, in terms of its severity, to warn unbelievers of what is coming.  

III. Solid encouragement to live for Jesus right now - 2 Thessalonians 2

    So, we have seen how the tribulation period or "Day of the Lord" will begin swiftly, without preceding signs, in lines with the rapture of the church. We then looked at the severity of this future era as a warning to unbelievers about the need to trust in Christ in this current age of grace. But now, Paul is going to pivot to some final words of encouragement. 

    In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 we saw Paul begin with the end of the Tribulation (the day of the Lord) and work his way back through the second half of the Tribulation period (called by Jesus the Great Tribulation) to underscore the swiftness and severity of judgment. We have seen as well that Paul offers strong encouragement that believer's will not have to experience such wrath and that they are to strive all they can for Jesus now. But what about Paul's teaching in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8? 

    2 Thessalonians speaks of the coming of Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him. The doctrine of the rapture is mentioned in 2:1-2, which states:

"Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come."

  

    Paul refers to that doctrine to comfort his readers in the face of rumors circulating that perhaps the Thessalonians had missed the rapture; or that the day of the Lord had come; or that they were somehow going to have to endure God's wrath after-all. From 2:2-12 we get an overview of the whole Tribulation period:

1. 2 Thessalonians 2:2-4 The increasing level of apostasy going on right now up until the Anti-Christ is first revealed at the beginning of the Tribulation.

2. 2 Thessalonians 2:5-11 The Spirit of God will remove His restraining influence and check on man's evil, and the Anti-Christ will have full liberty to increasingly and gradually exercise full dominion over this planet. One purpose of this period will be to judge unbelieving man's sin. A second main purpose for this period will be to prepare Israel for her coming Messiah at the end of this period. However, we gain a clear third purpose: destruction of Satan's man - the Anti-Christ.

    The encouragement Paul gives to his readers is that because of Jesus' catching away of His Church just before the "Day of the Lord" or Tribulation period, the Christian will not have to endure all that will transpire in that seven period of time. 

Endnotes:

1. To say there will be seasons of trial or tribulations throughout the history of Christ's church or the individual lives of God's people cannot be disputed. In fact suffering and trials of all sorts is to be the norm for anyone wanting to be Godly in Christ Jesus. (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12) However the testimony of scripture bears out the fact that the Tribulation period (the whole seven year period of time spoken of in Daniel and elsewhere) is unique in terms of its intensity and character and thus merits its own unique study and understanding.

2. The Book of Zephaniah is perhaps the fullest treatment on this phrase in the Old Testament, being that the entire book is dedicated specifically to describing it. Will this day encompass the entire Tribulation period? Or is this a phrase meant to describe the tail end of the Tribulation period? Zephaniah 1:1-3:11 describes how God will wage war against the nations who have assembled against Him, followed by the promised restoration of Israel and the redeemed in Zephaniah 3:12-20. When we tie in the Old Testament teaching on the tribulation and Jesus' instructions about it, we find out that "the Day of the Lord" will encompass the entire tribulation period. Paul's usage of this phrase contains this built-in assumption, which leads me to conclude the church will not be present in the tribulation period.
 

A Study Of Jesus Teachings About The Tribulation Period In Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Introduction & Review

    Today's post will focus upon Jesus' teaching on the tribulation period in His final public sermon. To understand what is meant by "The Tribulation Period", let me review briefly from our last post. In our last post we concluded the following regarding the Old Testament's teaching about the Tribulation period:

1. The Tribulation period will be an unprecedented time of human history, occurring at the end of this age. 

Daniel 12:1 

“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued."

    The tribulation period is so-called due to how God will pour out what is called His "eschatological wrath" (that is, "His final expression of judgment") upon this world's unbelieving system and inhabitants. It is called by other names ("Day of the Lord" - Zephaniah 1:15;  "Daniel's seventieth week" - Daniel 9:23-27; and "time of Jacob's trouble" - Jeremiah 30:7. just to name a few).

2. The Tribulation period's purpose, in addition to God's judging of this world, is prepare Israel to meet her Messiah (see Zechariah 12 and 14, as well as Romans 11:25 and Revelation 14). 

    We can also note, especially from Revelation 7, that many people will get converted to Christ in the Tribulation period as a result of the efforts of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists preaching the Gospel.

3. The Tribulation period's duration will be seven years. 

    This length of time is drawn from the final seven year period or "final week" of Daniel's seventy weeks prophecy in Daniel 9:23-27. In Daniel 9:26b-27, we discover that the final seven year period is sub-divided into two equal halves of 31/2 years each. 

    Jesus refers to this prophecy, noting in Matthew 24:21 that the latter half is called "The Great Tribulation", due to the increased intensity and frequency of God's outpouring of wrath. The first half is not focused upon near as much as the latter half in other prophetic passages (especially in Revelation 13-18, which details the events of that final 31/2 year period). 

4. A tyrannical ruler will attempt to blaspheme God and lead the whole world astray in outright rebellion again God. 

    This ruler is called by many names in prophetic Scripture (the son of perdition, anti-Christ, the beast). His regieme will be known as "Babylon the Great", and is detailed in Revelation 15-18. 

5. Christ's rapture of the church will precede this event. 

    The rapture and His second coming constitute part one and part two of His overall return, with the tribulation ooccuring in between both. His return to earth to rescue Israel will close out this period of time. We do not find mention of the rapture in the Old Testament, due to it being an event revealed by Jesus, then His Apostles, for the church and this current period of time for which the church eagerly awaits the return of her Lord (see Philippians 3:20-21 for example).

    Readers may review the last post by clicking here:http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/03/a-study-of-old-testaments-predictions.html.

    As we continue on in our Biblical overview of the Tribulation period, we enter now into the New Testament with the aim once again to understand what the Bible has to say about this subject. In today's post, we shall review Jesus' teaching on the tribulation period.

Jesus' teaching on the Tribulation period

   Jesus is recorded saying the following about the tribulation period in Matthew 24:21-22

"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short."

     The above citation is taken from Jesus' final public teaching on the Mount of Olives - called by scholars "The Olivet Discourse". To understand why Jesus focuses attention on the tribulation, we first need to note the setting of Jesus' sermon.

The setting of Jesus' sermon on the mount gives insight into His remarks on the tribulation period. 

    The history of the Mount of Olives gives insight into understanding why Jesus would devote so much time to expounding upon the tribulation period. 

    

    This particular mountain is spoken of in Ezekiel's vision of the glory of God departing from the Temple in Jerusalem and resting over "the mountain to the East" in Ezekiel 9-10. 

    The setting of Jesus' sermon tells us that His sermon is detailing how God will deal with Jerusalem in history and prophecy. Zechariah 14, another significant prophetic passage that highlights this famous mountain, will feature the Lord Jesus returning to earth at the end of the tribulation period to restore Israel unto Himself before beginning His earthly reign. Such Biblical background aids us in seeing the significance of Jesus' remarks on the Divine plan for Jerusalem, the future tribulation period, and His second coming. 

How Jesus' teaching is presented in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

    The three versions of this teaching, found in Matthew 24:1-31; Mark 13:1-27 & Luke 21:5-28, are the passages we look to to understand Jesus' teaching on the Tribulation period and His Second coming back to earth. 

    

    In the citation from Matthew 24:21-22, we find Jesus alluding back to Daniel 12:1ff. This allusion signals to us that Jesus is not only referring to the pending destruction of Jerusalem and its temple 40 years future to Jesus' words, but also The Tribulation period at the end of this age. 

    Matthew and Mark's accounts appear to emphasize Jesus' predictions a near event future to them (destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D) and the Tribulation period at the end of this age. 

    Luke's account does the same as Matthew and Mark, with the additional phrase of the "times of the Gentiles" referring to the Gentile occupancy in Jerusalem that began in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar, and which will cease at the end of the future Tribulation.

Some specific observations about the tribulation period from Jesus' teaching in His sermon on the Mount of Olives.

    There is much more that could be said about Jesus' teaching, but we can note a few points about the Tribulation from these texts:

A. Jesus utilizes Daniel's prophecies throughout His sermon, meaning that He uses similar language to describe a future seven year period, divided into two equal 3 1/2 year periods, with the latter being the most severe (see Daniel 9:23-27 and Daniel 12:1-3).

B. Jesus refers to the whole period as "The Tribulation Period" (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24) and the latter half as "The Great Tribulation" (Matthew 24:21). Jesus uses phrases from Daniel 9:23-27 and Daniel 12 to describe this period as being unprecedented.

C. In all three passages there is reference made to a fairly near event future to Jesus' time as well as the far future tribulation period. The near future event of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D acts as a template to preview what will be the final seven year tribulation period spoken of in Daniel. 

    In Daniel's prophecies we see this same phenomena of "double-fulfillment", wherein he speaks of a fairly near set of events 250 years from his day (which is the attack of Jerusalem and its temple by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168-165 b.c.) and of course the far future event of the tribulation period at the end of this age.

D. Jesus' continuity with Daniel's prophecies gives us a bridge between the Old and New Testament teachings on the Tribulation period. Every passage that follows throughout the New Testament on the Tribulation period does so from Jesus' sermon interpreting the extensive Old Testament treatment on the subject.

A quick note about the absence of the rapture in Jesus' teaching on the tribulation period

   A final remark needs made about the rapture, or the lack of mention thereof.  So, why no mention of the rapture of the church in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, or Luke 21? As we labored to show already, Jesus' is laying out God's final dealings with the Jews both in the near prophetic sense (destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.) and far prophetic sense (Daniel's 70th week or tribulation period). 

    In the chronology of Jesus' teaching, once he completes His Olivet Discourse, it is then where He and his disciples go to the upper room to begin the celebration of the Passover (see Matthew 26:1; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:1; John 13:1). 

    Since Jesus is instituting the Lord's Table in the context of the Passover Celebration, and since His Lord's Table is a new Covenant meal for the pending coming Church age (which would begin in Acts 2), it makes sense that Jesus would make reference to the rapture of the church in John 14. 

Closing thoughts:

    Today we surveyed Jesus' teaching on the Tribulation Period in His sermon on the Mount of Olives. The takeaways for this study are as follows. First, God's pledge to bring His chosen people, Israel, to faith in her Messiah, as well as His promises to their forebears Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, require the Tribulation period. The primary purpose of this period is to prepare Israel for the coming of her Messiah at the end of this age. God's promises to His people Israel says something to those who are His people in the Church - that God never breaks His promises. Then lastly, drawing attention to this period of time places urgency on evangelization of neighbors and friends as to how they can avoid the coming wrath of God upon the earth. 

A Study Of The Old Testament's Predictions Of The Coming Tribulation Period

Introduction:

    In today's post we are going to begin looking at one of the two major events which will follow the rapture of the church. Readers may consult my last two posts on the rapture of the church here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/03/introducing-christs-return-for-his.html and here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/03/the-major-bible-passages-on-rapture-of.html. 

Two major events that will follow the rapture of the church.

    The one event will involve the rewarding of Christians for how they lived their lives for Jesus while here on this earth. This event, called "The Judgment Seat of Christ" or "The Judgment Seat of God"  (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10) will occur in Heaven when all Christians, deceased and living, will be caught away by Jesus and given glorified, physically transofrmed bodies. The judgment seat of Christ will not be about whether someone has trusted in Christ as Savior (this of course is a pre-requisite in becoming a Christian). Rather, the issue at stake will be that of faithfulness to the Lord. This "Judgment of believers" or "Judgment Seat of Christ" will represent a heavenly theatre of God's activity following the rapture and will last the duration of the final seven years of world history.

    The second event, the Tribulation period, which we could refer to as an "earthly theatre", will feature God's Divine wrath poured out upon this world. This event will be contemporary with the rewarding of the saints spoken of in the above paragraph. Unlike the Judgment Seat of Christ, the focus of the Tribulation will not be the Church, since the Church will had been raptured prior to the Tribulation. Instead, Israel's preparation for her Messiah will be one of three foci (with the two other foci being Divine judgment of Evil and mass conversion of people to Christ from the nations) - see Zechariah 12:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12; Revelation 7:9). 

    The Tribulation period is the focus of today's post. In particular, we want to understand how the Old Testament introduces and progressively reveals this important teaching of Bible prophecy. Author Tim Lahaye notes the following about the importance of gaining familiarity with the Tribulation period:

"In His masterful Olivet Discourse, our Lord warned that this world has yet to see a time of "great tribulation", such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21). And those who take the Bible literally find it signficant that the Tribulation period is given more space in Scripture than any other comparable event, There is more space allocated to the Tribulation than the 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom, heaven, hell, or any subject except salvation and the promise of Christ's second coming. It is mentioned at least 49 times by the Hebrew prophets and at least 15 times in the New Testament." (Tim Lahaye and Thomas Ice, Charting the End Times, page 56). 

    Even though I won't cover all 49 Old Testament texts on the tribulation period, what follows is a survey of nine of the more major passages to give us a sense of the Old Testament's progressive revelation on the subject. This is important to know, since Jesus and the Apostles refer often to the tribulation period in the New Testament. 

How the Old Testament progressively tells us of the future Tribulation period.

1. Deuteronomy 4:26-31 - The First Mention of the Tribulation Period.

   Note what Moses writes in Deuteronomy 4:30-31 

"When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them."

    The above text stands as perhaps the first mention in the Bible of a period of time that Jesus calls "the tribulation" (Mark 13:19). God lays out the prophetic history of Israel through the Old Testament and human history (4:26-28) with reference to her going through a time of great difficulty and deliverance by her Lord in 4:29-31. At this early stage in the Bible's revelation of this subject, Israel's whole history and the tribulation period are treated as one, seamless history.

2. Isaiah 13:6-18 - The day of the Lord is associated with the Tribulation

    The heart of this passage is expressed in Isaiah 13:9-11a 

"Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light. 11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity." 

    Twice in this passage we find reference to what is called "the day of the Lord".  We are not told the duration of this "day" in the passage, only its character and purpose.  We often see the phrase "Day of the Lord" used in two respects. It can refer to a specific judgment of God, as in the case of God's use of the Babylonians in destroying the city of Jerusalem (see Lamentations 2:22-23). Such "Days of God"or "Days of the Lord" are spoken of throughout the Old Testament, and speak of God's temporal judgment on a nation. 

    The second sense we see usage of the term "Day of the Lord" has to do with what we call God's "eschatological wrath", that is, His wrath poured out upon the earth for the entire duration of the tribulation period or what will be the Great White Throne Judgment spoken of in Revelation 20.  

3. Isaiah 17:4-11 Israel will be prepared to meet her Lord

    Isaiah 17:7 notes "In that day man will have regard for his Maker and his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel."

4. Jeremiah 30:4-11 The Tribulation is termed "The time of Jacob's distress or trouble"

    It is in this passage that we gain further evidence of God turning His attention back to Israel. During the Tribulation period God will prepare Israel to meet her Messiah through a process of chastening, purification, purging and protection. This is what we read in Jeremiah 30:7-9

‘Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s distress, But he will be saved from it. 8 ‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them."

5. Ezekiel 20:33-38 The tribulation period will purify Israel to enter into the Lord's Kingdom

Ezekiel 20:38 states - 

"and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord." 

    Thus far in our study of the Tribulation period, we have discovered that the judgment of the earth will occur and that the preparation of Israel for her Messiah will be the specific focus. As we follow the theological breadcrumbs concerning the Tribulation period, we are getting a sense of its purpose in the plan of God. 

6. Daniel 9:26b-27 The duration and details of the Tribulation period

    When we turn to the prophet Daniel, we come upon Daniel 9:23-27, wherein we read of the so-called 'seventieth week of Daniel", yet another descriptor of the tribulation period. Daniel 9:26b-27 tells us the following about the Tribulation period:

"and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

    It is in this passage that we first gain access to the time frame of this period - seven years.  Daniel's prophecy also unfolds another chronological feature: that this seven year period will be at the end of a 490 year period of time prescribed for Israel by God with regards to His program for her (hence the term "Daniel's seventieth week").  The final "seven" in the prophecy will be divided into two parts of 3 1/2 years each, featuring a tyrannical ruler called "the prince", who especially in the latter half of this period will unmask his true intentions.

7. Daniel 12 reveals details about the latter 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, called "The Great Tribulation"

    We appeal again to Daniel's prophecy, this time in Daniel 12:1 

“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued." 

    Jesus refers to this text in His final public sermon - the Olivet Discourse - in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14. We can note the importance of Daniel 12 by what Jesus says about it in Mark 13:14 

“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains."

    In so far as Jesus makes predictions of what was then the coming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., yet the international and global scale of the scene in Daniel 12:1 tells us that Jesus is using the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D as a template for understanding what will take place in the tribulation period. As you read on down through Daniel 12, you discover the specific time frame of this vision to occur in the future and in the same latter 3 1/2 year period that Daniel spoke of in Daniel 9:23-27.  Daniel's prophecies in 9:23-27 and chapter 12 form the foundation of Jesus' teachings on the tribulation period in His Olivet discourses of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. 

8. Amos 5:18-20 reveals the character and fearsome time that will be the Tribulation period.

    Amos'prophecy about the Tribulation period uses the phrase "Day of the Lord" to define this period. In one of the most descriptive passages, Amos gives us a taste of what this future period will be like:

"Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light; 19 As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him,
Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?"

9. Zechariah 14:1-4 The end of the Tribulation period witnesses the return of the Messiah to the earth. 

Zechariah 14:4 reads - "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south."

    This final look at the teaching of the tribulation period in the Old Testament reveals that this future era will close with Jesus coming back to earth to rescue the Jews from the Anti-Christ and warring nations. 

Conclusions

    In this fly-over of the Bible's teaching of the Tribulation period, we have attempted to look at the major Old Testament Prophecies that speak specifically about it. We have concluded the following:

1. It will be an unprecedented time of human history, occurring at the end of this age. Being that the Old Testament predicts its uniqueness, the likelihood of it referring to a general pattern of tribulation that covers the church age or some other broad period of history is pretty slim.

2. The Tribulation period's primary purposes include judging the world and preparing Israel to meet her Messiah

3. The Tribulation period's duration will be seven years. The first half is hardly mentioned, with the overwhelming focus on the events of the latter 3 1/2 years that Jesus calls later on "The Great Tribulation" in light of Daniel's prophecies.

4. A Tyrannical ruler, called "Anti-Christ", will attempt to blaspheme God and lead the whole world astray in outright rebellion again God. 

5. Christ's rapture of the church will precede this event. His return to earth to rescue Israel will close out this period of time. The rapture and His second coming constitute part one and part two of His overall return, with the tribulation nested in between both. 

    

The Major Bible Passages On The Rapture Of The Church

Introduction:

    In the last post, I introduced what is known as "the doctrine of the rapture", or what is sometimes called "The Lord's return for His Church". For readers interested in the last post, simply click on the following link here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2023/03/introducing-christs-return-for-his.html.

    In today's post I want to lay out the major passages in the New Testament that touch upon this doctrine. At this point I'm not going to expound on where the rapture fits in relationship to other future events. Such considerations have their place and importance. Instead, it is vital that we first have all the Biblical data, considered in each passage's context.

    The overwhelming themes of the New Testament's teaching on the rapture of the church is three-fold: comfort, hope, and expectation. On several occasions we find the theme of comfort in passages that teach about the rapture of the church (see for instance 1 Thessalonians 4:18). We can also reference the theme of hope, that is, hope in the Lord Jesus Christ for those who are living day by day in light of His soon return (see Titus 2:13 for example). Then thirdly, the theme of expectation resonates through the texts below, since the rapture is an "imminent" future event, that is, it could happen at any time with no preceeding signs heralding its arrival (see 1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

    The passages below are culled from studies, various Bible teachers, and books I've read over the years. It is hoped that in assembling these texts, fruitful study on this vital truth can be done by those so interested.

Main Testament passages that refer to the rapture of the church.

1. John 14:1-3 - “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 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 be also."

2. 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 "so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

3. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 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. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."

4. Philippians 1:6 "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

5. Philippians 1:10 "so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ."

6. Philippians 2:16 "holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain."

7. Philippians 3:20 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

8. Colossians 3:4 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ".

9. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 "For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come."

10. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."

11. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 "Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ".

12. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-7 "Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way."

13. 1 Timothy 6:14 "that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ".

14. Titus 2:13 "looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus".

15. Hebrews 10:37 "For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay."

16. James 5:8 "For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay."

17. 1 John 2:28-3:3 "Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

18. (Possible passage about the rapture) Revelation 3:10 "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth."

Passages that can illustrate what the rapture is like.

1. Genesis 5:24 "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."

2. 2 Kings 2:9-12 "When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces."

3. Acts 1:11 "They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

4. Acts 8:39 "When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing."

5. Revelation 12:5 "And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne."

Introducing Christ’s return for His Church in the rapture

Introduction:

    In today's post I want to introduce readers to an important truth that is part of the "study of last things" or "eschatology". This important truth, known as "The Rapture of the Church", is the next major prophetic event that will involve a mass miracle performed by the Lord Jesus when He comes for His Church. 

A summary of the rapture.

    In offering a definition of "the rapture", we could say the following:

    The rapture is a predicted event, of unknown date, in which Jesus will appear in the clouds to resurrect dead Christians and transform the bodies of living Christians to catch them up to Himself.

    So why this strange term "rapture"?  Theologian Wayne Grudem notes that the term “rapture” comes from a Latin term “rapio”, which is used in the Latin Vulgate’s translation of the phrase "will be caught up" 1 Thessalonians 4:17. As with most theological terms, the term derives from the Latin due to Latin's influence upon the work of theology. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul writes the following words:

“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.”

    The rapture of the church, then, is when the Lord Jesus will appear in the clouds to "catch away" or "take-up", in resurrection, all Christians who deceased, and to "catch away" or "take up" in transformed bodies those Christians who are currently alive. 

    Older writers used the term "translate" to describe this same event. Incidently, the term "translate" derives from another Latin term which refers to "carrying from one place to another". The rapture of the Church is that very event in which the Lord Jesus will come in the clouds and transport Christians from earth to Himself.  In sum, to say: "rapture" then, is equivalent to stating: "to catch away".

    Jesus was the first one to mention this important doctrine in the Bible. In John 14:1-3, He speaks the following words to His disciples:

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 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 be also."

    Although Jesus used a different verb than the one we find in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the idea of receiving those who trust in Him as Savior unto Himself conveys this blessed truth known as "The Rapture of the Church".

Basic outline of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and its teaching on the rapture.

    We could turn to several New Testament passages that teach on this doctrine, however we will confine ourselves to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, since it gives a wonderful summary of the Lord's return for His church.

1. Comfort from the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:13,18

    The key feature of the doctrine of the rapture of the church is the comfort it conveys to the Christian. Paul writes these words in 1 Thessalonians 4:13

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope."

    As Paul begins this section, he ends with the same tone of comfort in 1 Thessalonians 4:18 - "Therefore comfort one another with these words."

    What is remarkable to consider about other New Testament texts that teach on the rapture is how often they refer to some sort of comfort afforded by the doctrine. Note the following passages of the Scripture.

A. Comfort in loss.

    We read Jesus' words to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion in John 14:1-3 

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 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 be also.

B. Comfort when laboring for the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.

C. Comfort for daily living.

    Paul writes in Philippians 3:20-4:1 

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. 4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved." 

    We can note also 2 Thessalonians 2:2, which alludes to the rapture: "that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come."

    We are living in a world that is riddled with fear and anxiety. It is my understanding that there are over 500 categories of fear or phobias. If anything else, one of the chief fruits of consistent preaching and exposure to Biblical teaching of the rapture is the immeasurable comfort it offers. 

2. Certainty of the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:14

    Paul then writes next in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." Why mention Christ's death and resurrection? The certainty of His death and resurrection as historical events and spiritually grounding events are taught in the New Testament. 

    As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 about the certainty of Christ's death and resurrection:

"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

    So much is staked on what Christ achieved that Paul later writes in 1 Corinthians 15:19-20


"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep."

    What Paul's point is in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 is this, just as certain as it is that Jesus Christ died on the cross and raised from the dead, so too is that same level of certainty in His soon return for His Church in the rapture.

3. Quick coming of the rapture. 1 Thess 4:15-17

    So, we have looked at the meaning of the the term "rapture"; the comfort of the rapture and its certainty. On this final thought about our introduction to Christ's return for His church in the rapture, we will note the quickness of its approach. 

    Theologians have noted that the rapture will have no accompanying signs preceeding it. Unlike the return of Christ to the earth, the return of Christ for His church will come when least expected. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For 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. 17 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."

    Paul describes the event of the rapture or "catching away" without telling us when it will happen or what to look for before it happens. The emphasis here is that of how sudden the occurrance of the rapture will be. He writes these words in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

"Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 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."

    Theologians refer to this feature of the rapture as "imminency", meaning that it could happen at anytime. At anytime, the Lord could appear in the clouds and all the graves of those Christians who died before us would be ripped open. A split second after deceased Christians are resurrected, those Christians who are alive will experience the transformative effects on their bodies, with both groups defying gravity and exiting up through the clouds to be with Jesus. 

    The bodies of every believer will be rendered immortal - never subject to decline and death. The Apostle John notes this truth in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ in 1 John 3:2-3

"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

 

    This greatest of mass miracles is the next prophetic event. The exciting thing is we do not know when it will occur. All we know is that once it happens, other prophetic events will come forth like dominoes, one after the other. Until then, all Christians are encouraged to look ahead and look up - for the Lord Jesus will come in a moment, in the twinkling of any eye!

Grasping the future events of the rapture and second coming of Jesus

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For 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. 17 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."

Revelation 19:11 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war."

Introduction:

I recently began preaching a series of messages that involve describing how Jesus will return to take back history. I began by describing what Bible teachers refer to as the "rapture of the church". In the message, I defined the rapture as follows:


"A predicted event, of unknown date, in which Jesus appears in the clouds to resurrect dead Christians and transform the bodies of living Christians to catch them up to Himself." 

The doctrine of the rapture is often associated with another doctrine that figures more prominently in the Bible's presentation of prophecy (also called "eschatology" or "study of last things"), namely, Christ's second coming (also called "second advent" and "return"). In today's post, I want us to briefly consider these two doctrines. Although the rapture and Christ's return are related to one another (like a "part one" and "part two" of Christ's efforts in bringing the church and Israel respectively to Himself at the end of this age), there are distinctions. 

Defining what we mean by "pre", "mid" and "post" tribulation views with respect to the relationship of the rapture of the church and second coming

Over the passing of time, I have found that noting the differences and similarities between the rapture and Christ's second advent aids greatly in understanding what the Bible has to say on whether or not the rapture will occur before, mid-way through or after the tribulation period. For readers who may not have familiarity with the term "tribulation" and the prefixes describing viewpoints that attempt to explain the rapture's relationship to it, some definitions are in order. The tribulation describes a period of time, yet future, in which God will pour out wrath to judge the nations, defeat Satan's kingdom and prepare Israel for the arrival of her Messiah at the end of that period. The prefixes "pre", "mid" and "post" respectively argue for the rapture as occurring before, midway or near the end of the tribulation. 

Below are a series of charts one typically can find to illustrate each of these views:




As a general rule, post-tribulational Christians will focus only on the similarities and virtually equate the rapture and Christ's second coming. Mid-tribulational Christians and pre-tribulational believers (like myself) will note the similarities between the two events while also noting the clear differences between the two.   

Noting the similarities between the rapture and 2nd advent of Jesus Christ

Below I will simply list the similarities and verse references pertaining to the rapture and second coming of Christ.

Similarities between rapture & 2nd Advent 

1. Both have the Lord appearing in clouds (1 Thess 4:17 vs Matthew 24:30; Luke 21:27; Rev 11:19, 14:14). 

2. Both have righteous people being raised from the dead (1 Thess 4:16-17 vs Rev 20:4) 

3. Both are described in the language of Jesus “coming” (John 14:3, 1 Thess 4:13 vs Matt 24:42; Lk 21:27). 

4. Both have an uncertainty as to when they will begin (1 Cor 15:52, 2 Thess 2:1-3 vs Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32). 

5. Both will affect the entire world (2 Thess 2:7 vs 2 Thess 2:8). 

6. Both mark the end of things, the rapture will conclude the church age and 2nd advent will mark the end of the tribulation.


Although both events do have similarities, we must recognize that "similarity" does not equate to "sameness". For instance, as a native-born Pennsylvanian, I can tell you first hand that though the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles might be "similar" in that they are football teams, which are in the NFL and which are stationed in PA, nonetheless, their similarities cease and the differences are far more contrasting (ask any of their respective fans). Similarity does not mean "sameness". To illustrate another way, apples and oranges might very well be fruit, however, they must be distinguished, since an apple is not an orange nor an orange an apple.

Differences between rapture & 2nd Advent

1. The rapture (per a pre-tribulation view) occurs before the tribulation (Thessalonians 4:13-16 & 5:1). The 2nd advent occurs at the end of the tribulation (Revelation 19:11-21).

2. The rapture is taught in roughly twenty passages in the New Testament. The 2nd advent is taught in hundreds of passages, Old and New Testaments.

3. The rapture deals exclusively with the church (1 Thess 4:16-17). The 2nd advent or second coming impacts everyone else and entails Christ's restoring and raising Israel (Daniel 12:1; Matt 24:30; Luke 21:28).

4. The rapture is aimed at comforting the church (1 Thess 4:18), whereas the main theme of the 2nd advent is Christ returning in judgment (Revelation 19:11).

5. Christ appears in the clouds but does not come down to the earth in the rapture (1 Thess 4:13-16). In His second coming at the end of the tribulation, He descends all the way down to earth (Revelation 19:11-21).

6. There are no definitive signs to indicate the exact moment of the rapture. On the other hand, in the 2nd advent, the purpose will be for Christ to war against and defeat His enemies and will be preceded by definitive signs of increasing frequency.

Closing thoughts

In many ways, such an issue as the relationship of the rapture to the tribulation may not be as  weighty for the Christian faith as the Deity of Christ, the inerrancy of scripture and the virgin birth (this author knows many wonderful believers and respects many wonderful Bible teachers who differ on this point). Nonetheless, it is important for Christians to know where they stand on any doctrinal issue. If for anything else, the above comparisons and contrasts will serve to invite the reader to search the scriptures for themselves and to get better acquainted with what the Bible teaches on these subjects.   

Next big thing #1: Death, Hell or Heaven

Hebrews 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment

Revelation 14:13 "And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

Introduction:
The George Gallop Institute reports that 70% of all Americans believe in Heaven and 53% believe in Hell. I invite the reader to click first on the following link, which features a simulation of every person being born or dying on earth in real time: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/a-real-time-map-of-births-and-deaths/280609/

In today's blog we are going to be featuring the first in a periodic series of what I am calling "Next big things".  These are particular events that will impact every human being who has either lived or who is living today. Whether rich or poor, Christian or none Christian, the Bible spells out for us in big "bill-board style" what the next big things are up and coming. There is an event that for either this blogger or you the reader or someone you know that could happen when you least expect.  The next big thing to which I refer is: "Death, Hell or Heaven".  There is only One way in which you can be sure you're ready for when that "next big thing" may occur - that of course is by grace through faith alone trusting in Christ alone.

All human beings occupy one of three states
Many theologians and Bible teachers have pointed out that in the Bible we can understand human beings as occupying one of three states: There is a living state, followed by an intermediate state that begins at death and concludes at resurrection (resurrection of the righteous for believers and a second, separate resurrection of the wicked for unbelievers).  These first two states proceed the third and lasting state, the eternal state, that entails the New heavens and earth for believers and Lake of fire for unbelievers following the Great White throne judgment in Revelation 20. Only in this current living state do we have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and by Grace through faith believe, repent of our sins and be saved from the wrath to come.


What follows then is understanding the next big thing of death, and recognizing that there are two places spoken of in scripture wherein a person will occupy: Heaven or hell. Two men will aid us in understanding what this next big thing is all about so that you can be sure you are ready once it happens to you. The first man is the rich man in Luke 16 and the second man will be the thief on the cross in Luke 23.  In looking at both of these men, we can note two general truths about death, Hell or Heaven. I will simply give the reader the headings and then explain them as we go:
1. Those who go to hell are born once and die twice
2. Those who go to heaven are born twice and die once


So let us note the first man, the rich man in Luke 16, and see how he portrays....
Those who go to hell are born once and die twice
All who are born into this world are described as having been born in Adam, in sin and in death. (Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:19) One preacher has illustrated this by noting that man's birth is like a dot, with an arrow proceeding infinitely ahead of him, representing the fact that he is an everlasting soul. (.--------------------------------------->)

The Rich man in Luke 16:19-31 was undoubtedly born, and lived as we see in Luke 16:25. Then like every man, the Rich Man died as seen in Luke 19:22. That Rich man had been born, lived and now died physically. Where did he go? His living state on this earth was done, and now the intermediate state of his soul began. The Bible says that this Rich man, in Hades (or Hell) lifted up his eyes in torments.  We can note some traits of this first man who died and went to hell:

1. He was unexpected by many to die and go to hell. Lk 16:14
The reader must understand that for Jesus' listeners, this would had been a shocking development. The Rich man would had been the last guy you would had expected to end up in Hell. Rich people were often thought to had done the right things in the sight of God and man to obtain their level of wealth. Earlier in Luke 16:14 even the Pharisees, the self-righteous religionists of their day, were noted for their opulence. Nevertheless Jesus' teaching is quite clear, the Rich man had been born, lived  and died in his sins. Sadly a person don't have to do one thing to die and go to hell.  This rich man had his heaven on earth and did not want God in his life. Some people are going to end up in Hell that we would never expect, but notice also...
2. He was unrepentant. Luke 16:24
The rich man was in agony in the flames. He wanted comfort, like he had in his living state here on earth. (Luke 16:19) Like the people who will be under the wrath of God on this earth in the great tribulation recorded in Revelation 16:9,11,21, the Rich Man evidences no repentance, only rebellion against God.
3. He was un-forgetful Luke 16:30
Father Abraham reminds the rich man: "remember during your life". The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to "his father's house, for he has five brothers". The rich man's perpective on Lazarus as the "begger at his gate" had not changed. In hell, the person refuses to change. Ironically, the rich man is now the beggar and Lazarus is in comfort. (Luke 16:25)
4. He remained unconvinced of the scriptures. Luke 16:30
According to Luke 16:29-30, after father Abraham tells this rich man that his brothers have the law and the prophets to guide them to the saving knowledge that will spare them from the flames, the Rich man flatly says: "No Father Abraham." A person in hell is still convinced they have a better way and plan. Sadly, whatever state an unbeliever leaves this world, they will continue in a downward and increasingly inward spiral of sinfulness and opposition to the Lord and His book.

Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment. We've noted that the Rich man had been born once, lived, and died a physical death, ending up in hell to await judgment.  The second death will occur according to Revelation 20:14-15 when death and hades, that is to say every unbeliever whose name had never been recorded in the lambs book of life, is cast into the lake of fire.  More will be spoken about the Great White Throne judgment in later posts. However for now we can say this where we get the idea of "the second death" and hence the sad reality of hell for those who are "born once and die twice." The Rich man describes such a person. But now let us turn to another man, the thief on the cross, who represents....
Those who go to heaven are born twice and die once
The scene is Golgotha in Luke 23:39-43. As is often the case in Biblical discussions about death, heaven and hell, we can be surprised to learn who ends up in both places. For this thief on the cross, he would had been the last guy you would expect to end up in heaven. To go to hell, there is sadly nothing you have to do. To claim neutrality on the issue of salvation and Jesus Christ is to declare your rejection of Him. (John 3:36) However in order to get to heaven, there is nothing you can do to contribute. In short order we can note the following about the thief on the cross and his being born twice and only having to die once:
1. He received God's Word. Luke 23:38-39

2. He repented Luke 23:40-41


3. He relied on Jesus Luke 23:41-42

4. He was regarded justified. Luke 23:43 


Clearly the Holy Spirit was doing a work of grace on this man's heart, for he experienced what Jesus had described in John 3:3 as the New birth. He was born again by the Spirit of God because of God's Sovereign Spirit working forth for him to act and embrace Jesus Christ by faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Though the remainder of the New Testament explains such realities in more detail, we can say that the thief on the cross was, in a sense foreshadowing the New Testament reality of the new birth - born again, and only had to die once. He by grace through faith embraced the Lord presented to Him by the Spirit. Thus like that thief, you have to be born physically and then spiritually in order to be assured that when you die physically, you will be "absent from the body but present with the Lord". (2 Corinthians 5:6) The promise to all true Christians is that when they die right now, blessings will attend them (Revelation 14:13); a rich entryway will be supplied (2 Peter 1:11-12) and Jesus Himself will be there to receive them. (Acts 7:55)

This is why death, Hell or Heaven is the next big thing. My prayer is dear friend is that you are ready for it. Would it be that you would be born twice, and only have to die once. Would it be that by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that we could be in His presence in the intermediate state that lies between death and resurrection, and then the eternal state that follows for world without end.