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