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THE
SOON COMING KING |
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Many people are very interested in what the Bible has to say about future events. Rather than write an article on what the Bible predicts, I have decided to include in this article scriptures that refer to specific points of interest in the Bible and let the reader discern what is being said. *With some references, I have added my own comments in blue letters. |
Rev 1:7-8
Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him-- even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen!
"I am the Alpha and the Omega-- the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One."
(NLT)
PREDICTIONS OF THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
JESUS' OWN PREDICTIONS
OF HIS SECOND COMING
Matt 24:3-14
Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, "When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world?"
Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah.' They will lead many astray.
And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately.
The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me.
And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray.
Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But those who endure to the end will be saved.
And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.
(NLT)
Matt 24:44
You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected.
(NLT)
THE APOSTLE PAUL'S
PREDICTIONS OF THE LORD'S SECOND COMING & EVENTS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE PRIOR
II Th 2:1-10
{Events prior to the Lord's Second Coming--} And now, brothers and sisters, let us tell you about the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered together to meet him.
Please don't be so easily shaken and troubled by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Even if they claim to have had a vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us, don't believe them.
Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed-- the one who brings destruction.
He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
Don't you remember that I told you this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.
For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.
He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them.
(NLT)
1Thes 1:10
...and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who
delivers us from the wrath to come. (NKJ)
1Thes 5:9-11
For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on
us. He died for us so that we can live with him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return.
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
(NLT)
*1Thes 1:10 and 1Thes 5:9-11 show that God's desire is to deliver "us from the wrath to come" and "not to pour out His anger on us." I believe that these scriptures are a strong argument for the Lord rapturing the Church PRIOR to the Tribulation period where the wrath of God will be poured out on the world to awaken unbelievers, giving them a final chance to repent.
GOD'S
DELAY IN HIS SECOND COMING IS AN ACT OF MERCY
2 Pet 3:9-15
The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake.
He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.
But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.
Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living!
You should look forward to that day and hurry it along-- the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames.
But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God.
And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to live a pure and blameless life. And be at peace with God.
And remember, the Lord is waiting so that people have time to be saved. This is just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him--
(NLT)
PREDICTIONS OF THE ANTI-CHRIST
THE ANTICHRIST DEMANDS TO
BE WORSHIPPED DURING THE TRIBULATION
Rev 13:11-17
{The Beast out of the Earth--} Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, and he spoke with the voice of a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and those who belong to this world to worship the first beast, whose death-wound had been healed. He did astounding miracles, such as making fire flash down to earth from heaven while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people of the world to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then
the statue commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. He required everyone-- great and small, rich and poor, slave and free-- to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And
no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.
(NLT)
I Jn 2:18
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
(NKJ)
II Th 2:3-4
Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed-- the one who brings destruction.
He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
(NLT)
II Th 2:7-10
For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.
He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them.
(NLT)
Rev 20:10
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
(NKJ)
1Thes 4:13-17
{The Hope of the Resurrection--} And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.
I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.
Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.
(NLT)
1 Cor 15:49-57
Just as we are now like Adam, the man of the earth, so we will someday be like Christ, the man from heaven.
What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These perishable bodies of ours are not able to live forever.
But let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed.
It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die.
For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never
die. When this happens-- when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die-- then at last the Scriptures will come true: "Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!
(NLT)
PREDICTIONS OF THE END OF THE WORLD
THE FIRST 3 BOWL JUDGMENTS
Rev 16:2-6
So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl over the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.
Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood.
And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying, "You are just in sending this judgment, O Holy One, who is and who always was.
For your holy people and your prophets have been killed, and their blood was poured out on the earth. So you have given their murderers blood to drink. It is their just reward."
(NLT)
3 MORE BOWL JUDGMENTS
Rev 16:8-14
Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire.
Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who sent all of these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. And his subjects ground their teeth in anguish,
and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they refused to repent of all their evil deeds.
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies westward without hindrance.
And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
These miracle-working demons caused all the rulers of the world to gather for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God Almighty.
(NLT)
THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON
Rev 16:12-21
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies westward without hindrance.
And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
These miracle-working demons caused all the rulers of the world to gather for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God Almighty.
"Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed."
And they gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place called Armageddon in Hebrew.
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne of the Temple in heaven, saying, "It is finished!"
Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And there was an earthquake greater than ever before in human history.
The great city of Babylon split into three pieces, and cities around the world fell into heaps of rubble. And so God remembered all of Babylon's sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath.
And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the hailstorm, which was a very terrible plague.
(NLT)
THE FOUR HORSEMEN - ONE
FOURTH OF THE EARTH'S POPULATION DESTROYED
Rev 6:2-8
I looked up and saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, "Come!"
And another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to remove peace from the earth. And there was
war and slaughter everywhere. When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, "Come!" And I looked up and saw a
black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
And a voice from among the four living beings said, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley for a day's pay. And don't waste the olive oil and wine."
And when the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, "Come!"
And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the Grave.
They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
(NLT)
ONE THIRD OF THE EARTH'S
POPULATION DESTROYED (AFTER ONE FOURTH IS DESTROYED)
Rev 9:14-16
And the voice spoke to the sixth angel who held the trumpet: "Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River." And the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were
turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on
earth. They led an army of 200 million mounted troops-- I heard an announcement of how many there were.
(NLT)
THOSE WHO REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE MARK OF THE
BEAST WILL BE MARTYRED DURING THE TRIBULATION
Rev 6:9-11
And when the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their witness.
They called loudly to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people who belong to this world for what they have done to us? When will you avenge our blood against these people?"
Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters-- their fellow servants of Jesus-- had been
martyred. (NLT)
THE NEW HEAVENS AND THE NEW EARTH
Rev 21:2-8
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
(NKJ)
