Many views of Jesus' Second Coming are floating around out there. Which one is true?
Let's examine the events that coinside with His return.
I think one of the key signs is Matthew 24:14 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Wars and rumors of wars, pestilence and famine all lead up to this moment. They are the prerequisite events, the "Beginning of Sorrows", mentioned also in Matthew 24.
In particular, the war in the Middle East is key. Ten nations attack Israel. The result is Jesus returns and destroys them. So this war must precede His return.
A great earthquake. Likey a worldwide quake preceeds and levels everything.
* Is the earthquake in Revelation 6:12 the same quake in Revelation 8:5, 11:13,19 &16:18? Are we just lookong at different vantages points on time? This could be so if the trumpets and bowls were released rapidly. There could be separate quakes, some regional, then on Rev.16:18, the biggest? Zechariah 14:2-4 describes this very same quake. Ezekiel 38:19 describes either a regional quake or the great quake, in His wrath.
"And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." Rev. 6:12-14
"Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake." Rev. 8:5
"And at that time there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven." Rev. 11:13
"And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. REV. 16:18
This war, likely nuclear, creates so much smoke in the sky that it blocks out the sun, moon and stars - (1/3 of the light according to Revelation 8:12 which is a result of Revelation 8:7, when 1/3 of the planet that is set on fire). Fire and hail raining down from heaven, could be symbolic for missiles or a volcanic eruption ( which there will be since the earth is split open in that area causing a fissure deep in the earth that reaches the Abyss as described in Revelation 9:1-2).
But the Pre-Tribbers claim, "Wait, all this happens after the Rapture ... there is the Rapture and then the Second Coming with seven years in between them ..." Hold your horses ... wait a minute, you can't say that, the horses have already been released.
Let's look at Revelation 7. Here we see a sealing of the 144k and a multitude in heaven that no one can number who just came OUT OF the Great Tribulation. That means they were in it, at least the beginning of it. This is the raptured Church. Revelation 7 is situated between the 6th and 7th Seals. However, it is referred to as a parenthetical citation, information given which is not part of the chronology of events. The sealing of the 144k Jews AND translation of the multitude must happen BEFORE any harm comes to the earth, land, sea or trees.
Look back at the previous chapter in the 6th Seal. How could any of these events not cause harm to the earth? Also with the 6th Seal brings great wind!
Let me submit that this sealing and arrival of the multitude in heaven happens amidst an interesting physical anomally experienced on the entire planet --- the wind stops blowing everywhere. It is a pause, a key signal the the trumpets are about to be blown and bowls released.
Now listen, we are shown what each trumpet and bowl represents but it does not mean they are not all released quickly.
The 7th Seal is opened and there is that silence i1an heaven for a half hour, a pause ----when the wind stops blowing. Let's reflect on that for a second. John has these visions of heaven of Revelation on one day, events of the entire 3 1/2 years plus visions of the Millennial Kingdom, more rebellion after, the Great White Throne Judgment and the New Jerusalem. So how much time on earth is equivalent to a half hour in heaven? Could be a week? Who knows, but it is a pause when the wind stops blowing. If only an alarm could go off when the Weather Channel announces no wind on the entire planet?
My view is that the Trumpets are blown rapidly and Seals released rapidly like an explosion of fireworks and all events overlap and are accumulative. In this way, the Rapture (the multitude) happens before these major catastrophies are realized.
* The multitude in Rev. 7:9 is the same event ( different vantage of the last trumpet, #7, in Revelation11:15. Let's look at what happens at this 7th Trumpet.
1. "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ;
2. He begins His reign forever and ever.”
3. Worship and thanks
4. Wrath comes /Armeggedon/ deadly harvest
5. The dead are judged
6. Rewards are given to the Church
7. The Temple of God is opened
8. Mystery of God is revealed and the mystery of what we will be like as well.
9. Flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
I am comfortable with this view but I realize many will not accept it. I have looked at Revelation like a transparent three dimensional sphere of events within and on the surface. So when you turn the sphere, you just see different vantage points of events that overlap. But most of them are happening simultaneously. We'll see!
Let's examine the events that coinside with His return.
I think one of the key signs is Matthew 24:14 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Wars and rumors of wars, pestilence and famine all lead up to this moment. They are the prerequisite events, the "Beginning of Sorrows", mentioned also in Matthew 24.
In particular, the war in the Middle East is key. Ten nations attack Israel. The result is Jesus returns and destroys them. So this war must precede His return.
A great earthquake. Likey a worldwide quake preceeds and levels everything.
* Is the earthquake in Revelation 6:12 the same quake in Revelation 8:5, 11:13,19 &16:18? Are we just lookong at different vantages points on time? This could be so if the trumpets and bowls were released rapidly. There could be separate quakes, some regional, then on Rev.16:18, the biggest? Zechariah 14:2-4 describes this very same quake. Ezekiel 38:19 describes either a regional quake or the great quake, in His wrath.
"And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." Rev. 6:12-14
"Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake." Rev. 8:5
"And at that time there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven." Rev. 11:13
"And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. REV. 16:18
This war, likely nuclear, creates so much smoke in the sky that it blocks out the sun, moon and stars - (1/3 of the light according to Revelation 8:12 which is a result of Revelation 8:7, when 1/3 of the planet that is set on fire). Fire and hail raining down from heaven, could be symbolic for missiles or a volcanic eruption ( which there will be since the earth is split open in that area causing a fissure deep in the earth that reaches the Abyss as described in Revelation 9:1-2).
But the Pre-Tribbers claim, "Wait, all this happens after the Rapture ... there is the Rapture and then the Second Coming with seven years in between them ..." Hold your horses ... wait a minute, you can't say that, the horses have already been released.
Let's look at Revelation 7. Here we see a sealing of the 144k and a multitude in heaven that no one can number who just came OUT OF the Great Tribulation. That means they were in it, at least the beginning of it. This is the raptured Church. Revelation 7 is situated between the 6th and 7th Seals. However, it is referred to as a parenthetical citation, information given which is not part of the chronology of events. The sealing of the 144k Jews AND translation of the multitude must happen BEFORE any harm comes to the earth, land, sea or trees.
Look back at the previous chapter in the 6th Seal. How could any of these events not cause harm to the earth? Also with the 6th Seal brings great wind!
Let me submit that this sealing and arrival of the multitude in heaven happens amidst an interesting physical anomally experienced on the entire planet --- the wind stops blowing everywhere. It is a pause, a key signal the the trumpets are about to be blown and bowls released.
Now listen, we are shown what each trumpet and bowl represents but it does not mean they are not all released quickly.
The 7th Seal is opened and there is that silence i1an heaven for a half hour, a pause ----when the wind stops blowing. Let's reflect on that for a second. John has these visions of heaven of Revelation on one day, events of the entire 3 1/2 years plus visions of the Millennial Kingdom, more rebellion after, the Great White Throne Judgment and the New Jerusalem. So how much time on earth is equivalent to a half hour in heaven? Could be a week? Who knows, but it is a pause when the wind stops blowing. If only an alarm could go off when the Weather Channel announces no wind on the entire planet?
My view is that the Trumpets are blown rapidly and Seals released rapidly like an explosion of fireworks and all events overlap and are accumulative. In this way, the Rapture (the multitude) happens before these major catastrophies are realized.
* The multitude in Rev. 7:9 is the same event ( different vantage of the last trumpet, #7, in Revelation11:15. Let's look at what happens at this 7th Trumpet.
1. "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ;
2. He begins His reign forever and ever.”
3. Worship and thanks
4. Wrath comes /Armeggedon/ deadly harvest
5. The dead are judged
6. Rewards are given to the Church
7. The Temple of God is opened
8. Mystery of God is revealed and the mystery of what we will be like as well.
9. Flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
I am comfortable with this view but I realize many will not accept it. I have looked at Revelation like a transparent three dimensional sphere of events within and on the surface. So when you turn the sphere, you just see different vantage points of events that overlap. But most of them are happening simultaneously. We'll see!
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