Every now and then, we read and hear of news about wars and rumors of wars, strife, plagues. famines, pestilences and earthquakes. Crimes and lawlessness abound with terrorist acts occurring so frequent these days that they are no longer worthy of the headline news.
The world has gone mad with all kinds of weirdos appearing on the world's stage! Satan knows that his time on earth is short and he is trying all means to extract maximum damage to mankind and planet earth before his destimy is shut hell-bound and later the lake of fire.
As Christians we should not be alarmed or disheartened because the Word of God prophesied that all these things must come to pass before restoration comes. The concluding end-time story is one of restoration - for mankind and for planet earth. Man lost the ownership of the earth due to sin. However, through the events of the Tribulation and Armageddon, God will return planet earth to the rule of man with the return of Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Planet earth could well be restored to its perpendicular axis with freak and extreme weather patterns assigned to history.
As a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, man lost control of three main areas of his life.
* his spirit and soul are alienated from the Almighty God
* his body is subject to decay and death
* his dominion of the earth is lost to Satan by default
However, through the mercy and grace of God, His plan of redemption and restoration can be summarised in three areas.
* Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13). Hence, anyone who believes and accepts Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord will have his spirit and soul redeemed from the demands of the law, whose penalty for sin is death.
* Man's physical body will be transformed at the point of rapture. Romans 8:23 tells us that we groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. One day, all born again believers will be raptured with a brand new glorified body that will neither decay nor die.
* Christ will return to repossess the earth which is currently under Satan's control. Man is the rightful heir who will one day hold the title deed of the earth under the kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The valley of Megiddo is the assembly area where the Antichrist will gather his forces to wage war against the nation of Israel. The army of the Antichrist will march south heading towards Jerusalem. It will be in the Valley of Jehoshaphat that the Battle of Armageddon will take place.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Kinsman-Redeemer. He paid the full price to redeemer us from all our sin as well as to repossess our inheritance of the earth. But before He can reclaim possession of the earth, He has to break open the seals to the title deed of the earth. Revelation 5 tells us that Christ receives the title deed of the earth. Following that in Revelation chapters 6 to 11, He opens all the seven seals and hence has the mandate to evict Satan from the face of the earth. This event will happen at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:14, 16). Satan is then cast into the pit of hell for a thousand years during the Millennial Age. He is subsequently released for a season before having his destiny sealed forever in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
The Battle of Armageddon will be devastating as it culminates in the wrath of God upon the sin of this world. However, God in His mercy and grace will save those will are His, who have placed their faith and trust in His Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Him during the tribulation will also be saved from condemnation, just like those who believe during the church age. So be prepared and be counted as those who are His - and secured your destiny well ahead of time!
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Major Prophetic Events To Come
As time marches on towards the calamitous close of the church age, the scripture reveals a series of events that will unfold from the rapture through to the new heavens and the new earth. Even though Satan will attempt to thwart the order of these events, however, the plan and purposes of God will prevail.
Hebrews chapter 11 reveals in typological terms, the order of events to come for Christians in regard to the consummation of the age. Let the truth be known that these events will affect everyone regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religious affiliations or status in life.
1. Crucufixion of Jesus Christ
Hebrews 11:4 speaks of Abel (son of Adam) who offered up the blood sacrifice to God. This signifies the atoning blood of Jesus Christ on the cross for all who would place their faith and trust in Him. Hence, the beginning of the age of grace was born.
2. Rapture of the Saints
The next prophetic event that affects Christians to take place will be the rapture of the saints to heaven. The dead in Christ will rise first, follow by those born-again Christians who are still living at the time of the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The translation of Enoch (Hebrew 11:5) typifies this event for those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
3. God's Judgment Upon the World
After Enoch comes Noah (Hebrews 11:7), a time of flood that brought destruction to the whole world. This signifies that after rapture comes the tribulation - the time of God's judgment upon the whole world. It is a time when the age of grace is over and God is dealing with His chosen people - the nation of Israel - and the world who had rejected His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
4. Judgment Seat of Christ
The first thing to happen to believers who are raised and translated (Christians being given new bodies) will be to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Every Christians will be required to give an account of their lives to Jesus Christ from the time of their initial salvation to the time of death or rapture (Ecclesiastes12:14; Jeremiah 17:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:12; Hebrews 4:13)
There will be crowns of rewards, honor and inheritances to positions of privileges and prestige for the faithful stewards of the Lord. For those who failed to earn any reward, there could be shame and even temporary punishment for the unfaithful believers.
5. Marriage Supper of the Lamb
After the Judgment Seat of Christ, those who are found faithful and obedient to the commandments of the Lord will form the Bride of Christ. Revelation 19:7-8 stipulates that only those with righteous good deeds will form the Bride of Christ. Note that the marriage of the Lamb is only for the New Testament saints of the church age. The marriage of the Lamb is followed by a wedding feast. All those who are invited to the feast are blessed (Revelation 19:9).
The Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth probably at the time of the battle of Armageddon to save the remnant of the Jews from destruction (Rev 19: 11-16; Zechariah 13:6-9).
He will then gather all the Gentiles before Him and divide them into two groups - the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-34). The sheep are those who received the gospel of the kingdom that was preached by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the time of tribulation as prophesied in Revelation chapter 7. The goats are those Gentiles who rejected the gospel of the kingdom. The sheep had demonstrated good deeds by their kind treatment of the Israelites (the Lord's brethren - Matthew 25:35-40). These sheep who are saved will then enter the Millennial Kingdom of Christ as God's earthly people.
The New Testament saints and some of the faithful saints of the Old Testament era are God's heavenly people who will dwell in the New Jerusalem located in the heavens during the Millennial Age. During this period of one thousand years Satan will be bound in hell and unable to deceive the nations in the Millennial Kingdom. (Rev 20:1-3).
At the end of the Millennial Age, God will gather all the unsaved and the fallen angels to be judged at the Great White Throne, with their final destiny in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15).
When all these are over, the old heaven and old earth will passed away to be replaced by the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1). Therein will dwell three groups of God's people - the New Testament saints, the redeemed nation of Israel and the redeemed Gentile nations - in perfect harmony for eternity!
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Hebrews chapter 11 reveals in typological terms, the order of events to come for Christians in regard to the consummation of the age. Let the truth be known that these events will affect everyone regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religious affiliations or status in life.
1. Crucufixion of Jesus Christ
Hebrews 11:4 speaks of Abel (son of Adam) who offered up the blood sacrifice to God. This signifies the atoning blood of Jesus Christ on the cross for all who would place their faith and trust in Him. Hence, the beginning of the age of grace was born.
2. Rapture of the Saints
The next prophetic event that affects Christians to take place will be the rapture of the saints to heaven. The dead in Christ will rise first, follow by those born-again Christians who are still living at the time of the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The translation of Enoch (Hebrew 11:5) typifies this event for those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
3. God's Judgment Upon the World
After Enoch comes Noah (Hebrews 11:7), a time of flood that brought destruction to the whole world. This signifies that after rapture comes the tribulation - the time of God's judgment upon the whole world. It is a time when the age of grace is over and God is dealing with His chosen people - the nation of Israel - and the world who had rejected His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
4. Judgment Seat of Christ
The first thing to happen to believers who are raised and translated (Christians being given new bodies) will be to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Every Christians will be required to give an account of their lives to Jesus Christ from the time of their initial salvation to the time of death or rapture (Ecclesiastes12:14; Jeremiah 17:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:12; Hebrews 4:13)
There will be crowns of rewards, honor and inheritances to positions of privileges and prestige for the faithful stewards of the Lord. For those who failed to earn any reward, there could be shame and even temporary punishment for the unfaithful believers.
5. Marriage Supper of the Lamb
After the Judgment Seat of Christ, those who are found faithful and obedient to the commandments of the Lord will form the Bride of Christ. Revelation 19:7-8 stipulates that only those with righteous good deeds will form the Bride of Christ. Note that the marriage of the Lamb is only for the New Testament saints of the church age. The marriage of the Lamb is followed by a wedding feast. All those who are invited to the feast are blessed (Revelation 19:9).
The Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth probably at the time of the battle of Armageddon to save the remnant of the Jews from destruction (Rev 19: 11-16; Zechariah 13:6-9).
He will then gather all the Gentiles before Him and divide them into two groups - the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-34). The sheep are those who received the gospel of the kingdom that was preached by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the time of tribulation as prophesied in Revelation chapter 7. The goats are those Gentiles who rejected the gospel of the kingdom. The sheep had demonstrated good deeds by their kind treatment of the Israelites (the Lord's brethren - Matthew 25:35-40). These sheep who are saved will then enter the Millennial Kingdom of Christ as God's earthly people.
The New Testament saints and some of the faithful saints of the Old Testament era are God's heavenly people who will dwell in the New Jerusalem located in the heavens during the Millennial Age. During this period of one thousand years Satan will be bound in hell and unable to deceive the nations in the Millennial Kingdom. (Rev 20:1-3).
At the end of the Millennial Age, God will gather all the unsaved and the fallen angels to be judged at the Great White Throne, with their final destiny in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15).
When all these are over, the old heaven and old earth will passed away to be replaced by the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1). Therein will dwell three groups of God's people - the New Testament saints, the redeemed nation of Israel and the redeemed Gentile nations - in perfect harmony for eternity!
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
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