Tick Tock Time Is Running Out – Part 2
So far, we’ve just covered the Rapture of the church, and hopefully, this alone has brought you a sense of peace and comfort. The only people who should be apprehensive about the End Times should be the ones who have rejected God and are relying on their own strength and self-worth. Far too many people don’t realize that to be undecided with God is to still be separated from God.
Imagine the Rapture has happened, and now you’re in heaven, you’ve just received your new immortal glorified body from God, a body that will perfectly last throughout all eternity (Just think, you will even be able to see God and not burst into flames) so what happens next?
We have talked about this in our previous studies. We will all stand before the Bema Seat, also known as the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Rom. 14:8-9,10b
“If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord… Christ died and rose again for this very purpose – to be Lord both of the living and of the dead… Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (NLT)
The time is coming when we will all stand before Jesus, He is our Righteous Judge.
John 5:22
“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,”
I Cor. 3:11-15
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have – Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”
I have come across some people who are actually scared of this. There’s nothing for believers to be afraid of, because you are not going to be judged on your sins, Jesus took care of that at the cross. Your sins have been completely forgiven through Christ.
Rom. 8:1
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
The idea of the judgment seat goes back to the athletic games of Paul’s day. After the games were concluded, a dignitary took his seat on an elevated throne in the arena.
One by one the winning athletes came up to the throne to receive a reward. This is similar to what we will go through, we will stand before Jesus and we will receive or forfeit our rewards. This will be a one on One event with Jesus, it’s kind of like a job review with your boss, only much better.
Paul pointed out different materials to us – gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. The first three will not burn, but the last three will. This is a picture of all the things we did during our lifetime on earth. The first three items, gold, silver, and jewels represent the things we did for God with all the right motives, perhaps inspired by the Holy Spirit, things that glorify God and not ourselves.
The last three, wood, hay, and straw (or stubble) will all go up in a puff of smoke, like they never even existed. These are the things we did with selfish motives, things that we would get praise for and not God. The worst thing would be if God helped you do something and you took all the credit for it. Don’t ever do that.
II John 1:8
“Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.”
It is possible that you may have to forfeit some rewards depending on how you conducted yourself during your lifetime. Jesus’ rewards are distributed to those whose works will withstand the fire test.
The works that fail the testing will be burned up, but they themselves “will be saved,” “like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”
Eph. 6:7-8
“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.” (NLT)
The thing is, with the time that you have left, I implore you to devote yourselves to the Lord, be a holy and living sacrifice unto the Lord as it says in Romans 12:1. Do your best to be laying up treasures in heaven, these are the things that will not burn up, and you will never have any regrets in doing so.
At the very end of the Bible, Jesus said, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done” (Revelation 22:12). In preparation for the coming judgment seat of Christ, what are you choosing to “build” with? Is it gold, silver, and precious stones – the things that will last? Or wood, hay, and straw – things that will not stand in the day of testing?
• What kind of rewards can we expect?
James 1:12 “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (NLT)
Matt. 25:21
“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (NLT)
I Peter 5:4
“And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.” (NLT)
Every good and perfect thing comes from above. Whatever rewards Jesus wants to bless you with, you know it will be beyond amazing.
After the Bema Seat, we now come to the marriage of the Lamb. Believers in the Bible are often referred to as the “Bride of Christ.”
II Cor. 11:2
“For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband – Christ.” (NLT)
Eph. 5:27 (Paul describes the bride)
“That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Rev. 19:7
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
I know for you ladies it’s not too hard to accept being a bride, but for us guys to consider ourselves as a bride, this can be a little bit of a challenge. Keep in mind, God is in control, so guys, “don’t worry about it.”
Randy Alcorn; “The one-flesh marital union we know on earth is a signpost pointing to our relationship with Christ as our bridegroom. Once we reach the destination, the signpost becomes unnecessary. That one marriage… our marriage to Christ… will be so completely satisfying that even the most wonderful earthly marriage couldn’t be as fulfilling.”
The marriage of the Lamb is modeled after the Hebrew wedding. The Jewish marriage includes several steps: first comes the betrothal, which involved the prospective groom traveling from his father’s house to the home of the prospective bride, paying the purchase price, and thus establishing the marriage covenant. Second, the groom returns to his father’s house, which meant remaining separate from his bride for 12 months, during which time he prepared the living accommodations for his wife in his father’s house.
Third, the groom comes for his bride at a time not known to the bride, his father would tell the son when to go, with this in mind, the bride always needed to be ready.
Fourth, his return with his bride to the groom’s father’s house to consummate the marriage and to celebrate the wedding feast for the next seven days (during which the bride remained closeted in her bridal chamber).
Does this have a familiar ring to you? Jesus came to earth from His Father’s house and paid the price for our sins, claiming us for His own. Jesus has returned to His Father’s house where He now sits at His Father’s right hand.
I Peter 3:22
“Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”
Once back in His Father’s house, Jesus prepares a place for His bride.
John 14:1-2
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Jesus is coming back for His bride…
Matt. 24:36
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
A little side note about the bride of Christ being raptured to heaven before the Tribulation and not after the Tribulation is a comment of a friend of mine who once said, “Why would God beat up His bride (referring to the wrath of God) just before He marries her?” This makes perfect sense to me – the bride of Christ will not go through the Tribulation period.
The actual marriage of the Lamb takes place in heaven prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Rev. 19:6-8
“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, …and His wife has made herself ready… and to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
Arnold Fruchtenbaum; “The marriage ceremony takes place in heaven and involves the church. That it must take place after the judgment seat of Messiah is evident from Rev. 19:8, for the bride is viewed as being dressed in white linen, which is the righteous acts of the saints. This means that all the wood, hay, and stubble has been burned away and all the gold, silver, and precious stones have been purified. Thus, following the rapture of the church in which the Bridegroom bringing the bride with Him to His home, and following the judgment seat of Messiah which results in the bride having the white linen garments, the wedding ceremony takes place.”
The marriage supper of the Lamb takes place on earth some time later, apparently during the 75-day interval between the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennial kingdom, but we’ll cover that later on. There are some who believe the marriage supper takes place in heaven.
In the meantime, let’s come back down to earth.
Some 2600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel prophesied that the Jews would be re-gathering from many nations to the land of Israel in the End Times. (You can find it in Ezekiel 36-37). As I said in the last lesson, the Jews have been moving back to Israel ever since she became a nation for a second time. No nation has ever re-immerged as a nation before, this has never happened to any other nation in history except for Israel!
Ezekiel predicted a war that would come against Israel by a huge northern invasion coming from Russia, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Libya, and other countries. The goal of this assault will be to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. This will most likely happen after the Rapture.
This is known as the Ezekiel 38,39 War or the War of Gog and Magog. It will become obvious by the immense size of these armies, that Israel doesn’t stand a chance of surviving. (Ezek. 38-39)
Ron Rhodes; “Israel must be living in a state of security when this invasion occurs (Ezek. 38:8,11). I suggest that such a state now exists and that the invasion will likely take place sometime after the Rapture but prior to the beginning of the tribulation period… perhaps even three and a half years prior to the beginning of the Tribulation period.”
With the earthquakes we have just seen take place in Turkey, they won’t be attacking Israel any time soon. Ironically, Israel was one of the first ones to render aide to Turkey in their time of need.
Just as we saw in the Old Testament, Israel will once again face an enemy even bigger than Goliath, and this time God will step in.
Jer. 32:17
“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”
Dan. 4:35
“All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?”
God’s hand is going to come down hard on all the nations invading Israel. These forces won’t know what hit them, and at the same time, it will become very obvious that God has protected Israel in her time of need.
Ezek. 38:19
“For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel,”
This earthquake will cause many troops to die, transportation will be impossible because roads will be thorn up, and all of the armies will be thrown into chaos.
Ezek. 38:21
“I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.”
There will be great infighting going on amongst the armies. We’ve seen this happen before in the Bible where God sovereignly provoked the armies to come against each other.
John Walvoord; “In the pandemonium, communication between the invading armies will break down and they will begin attacking each other. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.”
Ezek. 38:22
“And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.”
The earthquakes and infighting will leave countless bodies all around. Remember, transportation will be disrupted, so they won’t be able to remove the dead bodies; there’s no water, food, or medicine, stir all this together and you have disease breaking out everywhere. Torrential rain, flooding, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone will come down… these invading countries don’t stand a chance.
R. Rhodes; “What a turn of events all this will be. The invading troops will come with the intention of killing, but they themselves will be killed. They will believe their power is overwhelming, but they will be overwhelmed by the greater power of God. They will come to take over a new land (Israel) but instead will be buried in the land.”
After the Ezekiel war is finished, the antichrist will rear his ugly head. Today many people try to figure out just who the antichrist might be. Is he born yet? What nation will he come from? To me, it really doesn’t matter much, because I don’t plan on being here when the antichrist shows up… how about you?
Scripture reveals to us that there is a single event that will take place which will start the beginning of the Tribulation or the Day of the Lord. That event is the signing of a covenant between Israel and the antichrist.
The Tribulation is a seven-year period when God will finish His discipline of Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world.
Tim Lahaye; “We hear a great deal of speculation as to whether or not human beings will ever destroy the world. That this could never happen is seen by the fact that God projects seven years in the future destined for His people Israel, which will be consummated in the physical coming of Christ to the earth to set up His millennial kingdom. Everything God determines and predicts in his Word will happen; therefore, we can say without reservation that human beings will not destroy the world.”
The Day of the Lord will come at a time when humanity’s decadence and depravity will have reached its peak, and God’s patience will have finally run out. This will be marked by various divine judgments, celestial disturbances, natural disasters, and terrible plagues.
When I was a child, I learned that God would never bring another flood to destroy the earth, but that the next time would involve fire… the thought of this terrorized me. It wasn’t until many years later as an adult, I learned that I could be saved from all the destruction that is coming.
Mark 13:19
“For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.”
If God doesn’t bring the Tribulation to a close, mankind would be completely wiped out.
• Can people still find God’s salvation during the Tribulation?
The short answer is yes. Maybe you have some concerns as to whether or not your family members might get left behind when the Church is Raptured. We don’t want any of them to have to go through the pains of the Tribulation, but for those who want to repent and give their life to Jesus, they can do so even if they are left behind. Sad to say, some in our families might have to experience our sudden disappearance before they realize the truth of God’s Word.
The Bible indicates that a great number of people during the Tribulation will place their faith in Jesus Christ. In his vision of heaven, the apostle John sees a vast number of these Tribulation saints who have been martyred by the Antichrist.
Rev. 7:9
“There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”
When John asks who they are, he is told, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (verse 14).
My advice is, don’t stop praying for your family and friends to be saved… don’t stop witnessing to them. For a person to be saved during the Tribulation will be a very hard time, to say the least. Remember, Scripture says that many will be “martyred” by the antichrist. This means many of the believers will die for their faith.
When we are Raptured, perhaps your loved ones will put the pieces together and realize all those things you talked about relating to Jesus were all true, and then hopefully they will give their life to Christ. Maybe they will make their way to your house and find all your Bibles and books, and start learning for themselves that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
Then there are the 144,000 Jewish missionaries who are redeemed and sealed by God during the tribulation period, they will be witnessing to the world.
There are also the two witnesses (Revelation 11:1–13). The Bible says these two individuals “will prophesy for 1,260 days (three and a half years)” (verse 3) and perform great miracles.
Angels will proclaim the gospel.
Rev. 14:6
“And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;”
People will definitely be saved during the Tribulation, but now is the time for salvation, not when God’s wrath is all around you.
I won’t be covering any of the details of the Great Tribulation in this study, the Book of Revelation tells you all about it. It will be a very horrifying time for humanity, to put it mildly.
Then, the end of the Tribulation will finally come, and the crescendo of that time will be what is known as Armageddon, a catastrophic war campaign that will take place.
Rev. 16:13-16
“And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty…Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed. And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.” (NLT)
In the Bible, Armageddon refers to a climactic future battle between God and the forces of evil, as recorded in the book of Revelation. The word Armageddon ultimately comes from the Hebrew word Har-Magedone, which means “Mount Megiddo,” it is the predicted location of the battle. This is the final battle that occurs at Christ’s Second Coming as the conquering Christ defeats all the forces of the Antichrist.
Megiddo was the site of many battles during World War I and the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, it was also famous for two great victories in Israel’s history: 1) Barak’s victory over the Canaanites and 2) Gideon’s victory over the Midianites.
The armies of the antichrist will be gathered in the desert wilderness, poised to attack the Jewish remnant. At this desperate point, the Jews finally repent and turn to their true Messiah Jesus Christ.
Hosea 6:1-3
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now He will heal us. He has injured us; now He will bandage our wounds. In just a short time He will restore us, so that we may live in His presence. Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”
As we learned in the Book of Romans, God is not done with Israel. As Israel makes its way through the Tribulation, a remnant will come to Christ with a repentant heart. The sad part is, that during the Tribulation period, two thirds of Israel will lose their lives and only one third will survive, thus they will turn to Christ, and will be saved.
Jesus Christ returns to earth with the armies of heaven…This is the Second Coming of Christ!
Matt. 24:27
“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Rev. 19:11-14
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”
Here we have Jesus coming back to the earth…
Acts 1:11 (an angel speaking)
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
As prophesized by this angel, Jesus comes back, and this time He is with His “armies.” Who are His armies? It’s the Bride of Christ… everyone who was raptured before the Tribulation.
Rev. 19:11
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”
II Thess. 2:8
“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”
Satan’s army – “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” (Rev. 20:8) They say there’s strength in numbers, but for satan, it will not help him.
With a single Word Jesus will conquer all satan’s armies, much to their astonishment. The Tribulation comes to an end…
Zech. 14:3-4
“Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as He has fought in times past. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south.”
An earthquake of global staggering proportions will take place, the whole earth will feel it. Mountains will be leveled, islands will vanish, the earth will be drastically changed. This is easy to comprehend after recently seeing the devastating earthquakes taking place in Turkey and Syria.
Jerusalem will be split into three areas, the Mount of Olives will split into two parts, creating a valley. This is not to judge the city, but to enhance it. There will also be a horrific hail storm, and the sun and moon will be darkened.
The wrath of God has come to an end, the only thing left is the judgment of the nations, which precedes the Millennial Kingdom.
At this point we will have to end… we’ve talked about a lot tonight, the judgment seat of Christ, the marriage of the Lamb, the war of Gog and Magog, the signing of the covenant between Israel and the antichrist, answering the question can people still find God’s salvation during the Tribulation? The Second Coming of Christ, and Armageddon, the catastrophic war campaign that will take place… which marks the end of the Tribulation.
I hope this has created in you a sense of urgency in these days and times, but also that you would have an attitude of optimism, knowing that your future is bright in Christ.