Futuristic Biblical Prophecy at a Glance

Here are some of the major events that, as of the time of this writing, are yet to come: the rapture of the Church, rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, the rise to power by the Beast (Antichrist) and the False Prophet, the Beast (or his representative) commits to a seven year agreement, the agreement is broken, Armageddon, the salvation of the Jewish remnant, the Millennial Reign of Christ, the final war, destruction of the earth, the new heavens and earth with the New Jerusalem. Considering the apocalyptic passages found in the first three Gospels, and assuming the events of Revelation 4 to 22 (except for at least one explanatory passage) are sequential, the above events themselves are somewhat sequential, though many true disciples believe the rapture occurs at a different point in time. It can also be seen that two segments of time are mentioned, one being around seven years and the other being 1,000 or more years, illustrated in the chart below.

Image by author–see note at end of article

Basically, prophecy expresses the plans and purposes of God. There are times it might just deal with only a present situation. In this article we are looking at futuristic prophecy, and specifically the major events listed above. We will now briefly consider each.

The Rapture of the Church

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 we read, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

It is clear that at some point disciples of Christ living on earth will be caught up to be with Christ. Going with them will be those who physically died while trusting in Christ. We get the term “rapture” from the Latin rendering of the words “caught up.” From 1 Cor. 15:51-53 we see this will require our bodies to be changed.

Bodies changing and being caught up, or ascending as in the case of Christ, have already occurred three times: Enoch, Elijah and Christ. Of these three, Christ’s is unique. He did it on His own power. This explains what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:13 in regard to no man “has ascended.” Enoch and Elijah were caught up–they were passive in the matter.

There are three major theories as to when the rapture of the Church will occur, either  before the Great Tribulation, or in the middle of it, or at the end of it. It is not the point of this article to elaborate on all three. Personally, I see a distinction in that there will be the rapture of the Church but there is also the rapture of the Two Witnesses of Revelation and the reaping of the earth prior to Armageddon. I will note those points in the chart below respectively as R4, R5, and R6.

Image by author–see note at end of article

I use that numbering for two reasons. There were already three raptures as mentioned above. The other reason is I wish you to consider the wording of 1 Cor. 15:24, specifically the words “delivered up.” This could quite possibly be a seventh rapture, a special one when the time for earth has expired. Most disciples of Christ know seven is the number of completion.

Regardless of what any of us think of the rapture of the Church, while we may have differing thoughts as to timing, we must agree on one thing: be ready.

A true disciple of Christ who believes in a pretribulation (pre-trib) rapture should be committed enough to go through the Great Tribulation if it turns out the pre-trib theory is incorrect. A real disciple prepares for any event.

The Temple

In order for 2 Thess. 2:4 to be fulfilled the Temple must be built. Until 1948, many viewed this passage and a host of others as figurative, including any reference to Israel and the gathering of nations against the Jews at Armageddon. However, the tiny prophecy of Isaiah 66:8 took affect May 1948 once Israel was politically and geographically reinstated.

Since 1990 I have heard of preparations to rebuild the Temple and the training of young Jewish men to be priests in that Temple.

Another verse, Daniel 9:27, points to the fact that Jews will be offering sacrifices during the time of the Beast. Whether the Temple is built first or the Beast arises first is up for grabs, but be assured the Temple will be built.

The Beast

Popularly referred to as the Antichrist, The Beast must appear. His partner in evil, The False Prophet seems to rise just after he does (Rev. 13:11). The Beast is revealed when there is a falling away, which is often considered as Christians defecting from Christ. Some consider the woman on the scarlet beast of Revelation 17 to be the apostate Church, the antichurch. This is one of many reasons why I tell disciples of Christ to stay away from ecumenicism.

Only 1 John 2:18 has “Antichrist” for the Beast. The second portion of that verse notes there are antichrists besides him, as does 1 John 2:22 and 2 John v.7. 1 John 4:3 speaks of the spirit of antichrist.

The Beast appears to mainly operate in the political realm. Given the title of his friend, The False Prophet most likely will influence the religions while at the same time control world economics (Rev. 13:11-18).

The Agreement

Daniel 9:27a states, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.” “Week” here in the Hebrew means “seven,” and most godly scholars, considering other passages, view it as seven years. Considering the balance of that passage, along with other Scriptures, the agreement has something to do with the Temple.

The agreement begins the last of the “seventy sevens” God levied upon the Jews and Jerusalem (Dan. 9:24). One line of thought states this is when the Great Tribulation starts. Others feel the Great Tribulation starts three and a half years later.

It is good to keep in mind that a facet of futuristic Biblical prophecy is the element of surprise. It could very well be there are a number of successive seven year agreements over a course of time. So we must not assume that if an agreement regarding the Temple is signed with the Jews for seven years that “this is it.”

The Agreement is Broken 

Daniel 9:27 states the agreement will be broken in the midst of that last seven. The sacrifices cease. This is most likely when 2 Thess. 2:4 is fulfilled when the man of sin, the Beast, sits in the Temple declaring himself to be God.

Christ pointed out in Mk. 13:14-23, “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.”

Armageddon

As you see from the above passage, Jews will be fleeing the area of southern Israel. Without a doubt, Jerusalem will see a great exodus. 

Many will come to Armageddon (Mount Megiddo) and gather in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Rev. 16:12-16, Joel 3:12). Megiddo is about 64.4km (40mi.) NNE of Tel Aviv. The Jewish people will meet their darkest hour, but Messiah (Christ) will return (Rev. 19:11-21) as promised (Acts 1:11).

One should know that the apostate Church will be destroyed sometime before Armageddon (Rev. 17:16-17).

The Millennial Reign of Christ

Despite the familiar belief that Armageddon is the final war and then comes the destruction of the earth, earthly life continues, but under new command. Christ, and those that are His, rule on earth for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1-6).

It is at His physical return that the remnant of the Jews surrender to Jesus Christ as their Messiah. This is very beautifully related in Zec. 12:7-13:1. I now find tears coming to my eyes each time I read that passage. Reading many of the verses before it increases one’s understanding of the time that we are in.

From other passages we see the earthly people will still have a limited freewill. Though Christ and His children reign, spiritual surrender to Him will still be by one’s volition. However, a predominate characteristic of this time will be that peace will prevail throughout the earth during that thousand years (Isaiah 11:9, Micah 4:3).

The Final War

One last war, involving Gog and Magog (Rev. 20:7-9) which could possibly correspond with the territory of the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe, will occur. Israel will once more be the focus of the attack.

The duration of this war is not indicated. Eze. 38:1-39:16 describes an attack by Gog of the land of Magog, but the context of this passage seems to indicate this will be before the Millennial reign and during the Great Tribulation. It is very possible Gog and Magog will attack twice, once during the Great Tribulation and once more at the end of the Millennial reign.

If you have followed this carefully you will see that from the time a seven year agreement is signed but is broken 3 and a half years later unto the end of the Millennial reign there are 1,007 years. As of the creation of this article at the end of 2010, no seven year agreement has been signed with Israelis regarding the establishment of the Temple. Therefore it can be confidently stated that the world will not be completely destroyed (Rev. 20:11, 2 Peter 3:10) until some time after 3017. However, there is a much greater issue to be dealt with than the earth being totally destroyed.

The Judgment

From Revelation 20 we read, “11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

As you see, those not found in the Book of Life were cast into the Lake of Fire. The other books, which recorded their works, confirmed their placement. It is important to note that consignment to eternal damnation was not based upon one’s recorded works, but whether or not their name was recorded in the Book of Life. In order to be listed in that book one needs to surrender their life to Christ, making Him their king. Those that truly make Christ their king will have the proper works to please God.

While futuristic Bible prophecy can be quite intriguing, what we are at this moment is most important. Any one of us can step out into eternity at any time. Hebrews 9:27 states, “as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Everything New

Those who truly belong to Christ get to enjoy the blessings recorded in the last two chapters of Revelation. Most notable of the blessings is the right for those who obey Christ and overcome to eat of the Tree of Life (Rev. 2:7, 22:14). This tree was in the garden of Eden. Because Adam and Eve sinned, they were banished from Eden so they would not eat of that tree and thus live forever in their sinful condition. It is very interesting to note that the tree is mentioned only in Genesis and Revelation. The phrase “a tree of life” does occur four times in Proverbs, but these do not speak of the tree itself. Also interesting is that there are three references to the tree in Genesis and three in Revelation.

When someone truly obeys Christ, it is Christ within Who justifies that person before His Father and empowers them to live for Him. Essentially the main facet of man’s first sin was disobedience, with pride being its foundation. Anyone may choose eternal life by letting go of self and surrendering to Christ, which is shown by obeying Him and overcoming.

Are You Ready?

While many details are given in futuristic Bible prophecy, other details, such as precise timing or determining exactly who the Beast is or will be are not completely laid out for us. God did that on purpose. After all, there has to be an element of surprise for those who do not commit to Christ.

The most important thing is not hidden: the fact that each person must decide whether or not they will commit to Christ. Commit means fully surrendered to and fully trusting in Christ. It means to turn from all sin and invite Jesus the Savior into oneself so He would be King.

If you are not ready, or not sure, you can pray something like this, but you must mean it:

“O God forgive me for my sins and for being a sinner. I ask that you cleanse me. I surrender all that I am and my very self to You. I ask Christ to come to dwell within in me and be in charge of my life. Help me to live for You through Christ.”

If you have sincerely surrendered to Christ I have some basic help for you to grow in Christ.

For His Disciples

Logically the time for the final ages is nearer than what it was when the Holy Spirit moved upon John to write Revelation. Since 1970 when I surrendered to Christ I sensed two things will happen near the close of the Church age: a true revival will spread through much of the world after which there will be a great persecution of all true disciples, even those in the U.S.A. Many other disciples have sensed the same. One group I would like to mention in this respect is Zion Fellowship International.

We should prepare for both true revival and persecution. Both shall require the grace (in this sense, the ability to do the right thing) of God. We Who know Christ should do what we can now to win the lost and nurture them to a degree.

Some of His disciples write and produce other works on Triond, Associated Content, Helium and other online publishers. Let us encourage one another, and may all of us strive to do our best for Him. Let us be determined to be His children of prayer, and in prayer and throughout the day listen to, and obey, what His Holy Spirit tells us.

Those disciples who write and produce material have a place on the Internet where they can fellowship with like-minded servants. A place where they can hone their skills, plan, leave prayer requests and more. If you truly know Christ as your Savior and produce material for the Internet, please consider joining The Fellowship of Christian Internet Writers.

Notations:

You may use the charts for your purposes with attribution, and, if possible, a link back to this article.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture was from the Authorized Version. 

Lowercase letters at the end of references indicate a portion of a verse or verses was chosen.

Unless the context deems otherwise, when I use terms like “mankind,” “men,” or “he,” I use them in the general and traditional sense of all people regardless of gender.

I have tried to be as concise as possible. There are many more events that are to occur between the rise of the Beast unto the time the earth is completely destroyed.