God's Surprise ~ Bible Study Notes - June 9, 2018

In 1937, John Steinbeck took the title of his novel "Of Mice and Men" from this line contained in the poem “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns:  "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley" (paraphrased in English as "The best-laid plans of mice and men / Go oft awry").

Well, that is exactly what happened to our Friday night Bible Study last week.  Since we only had one week to cover the subject.  And since the subject of our Bible study is the End Times - well, you know that one evening can only scratch the surface.   So we were going for an Overview of End Times Prophecy.

Before our study began I was standing in our church Assembly Room chatting with one of our young adults, Jonelle Vega, and we saw a couple on the sidewalk looking into our door.  Right away Jonelle and I went out to greet them and invite them to come in and join us.  We talked a while and they asked about our Sunday services.  Again I invited them to come into our Bible study that evening, but they declined and walked on, promising to come Sunday.

In the middle of our study discussion, the couple walked in to join us.  Wow, I was excited.  Since we moved into our new church building several months ago, we have been praying to be a beacon of His Light to this new neighborhood.  Every week people from our church go door-knocking, talking to folks, and inviting them to church.  Our door-knockers had not made it to their block yet - but God brought Diego and Micki to us.

As I mentioned earlier, "the best laid plans of mice and men" - not knowing the spiritual position of this new couple - how to adjust our End Times Prophecies discussion to include them?   I may not have done a very good job of adjusting - but the new couple, Diego and Micki, did come to our 2:30 PM worship service this past Sunday and asked that we pray for them.  Jonathan Dave Nolasco, who was giving our message last week took time before his message, I escorted Diego and Micki to the altar, and Dave and I prayed for them.

I pray that Diego and Micki are just the first of a flood of our new neighbors who will come and join us in worship.   May God always continue to interrupt our meetings, discussions, and services - when He wants to bring new folks into our church family.

That said, the following are the study notes I planned to use last Friday, hoping to get active discussions started:

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BIBLE STUDY NOTES - JUNE 9, 2018

LET'S SIT AND HAVE A FIRESIDE CHAT.   From your history classes, does anyone remember who made the "Fireside Chat" famous?   Yes, it was President Roosevelt during World War 2 - history for most of you.  But Dory, a few of our senior members, and I lived through that period of history.  I was 4 years old when Pearl Harbor happened, 8 years old when the war ended.

Dory's family in the Philippines struggled to survive the Japanese occupation, often in caves - and seeing a family member executed.

My high school teacher's son died on the USS Arizona, the first war death from my home town area of Colbert County, Alabama.

Opening Prayer.

Normally I like to lead a Bible study expositionally, with us studying a book of the Bible by starting in chapter 1, verse 1 - and, together, reading and discussing that passage or chapter verse by verse.  That way we know that no "meat of the Word" is skipped over or ignored, for any reason.

However, since our study tonight is a one-shot event - let's take a key book of the Bible and do an overview.

In 1991 during the Gulf War in Kuwait and Iraq there was a point in the war where Iraqi soldiers set fire to many oil fields in Kuwait - and the sky for hundreds of miles was literally filled with black smoke.  The result - many Bible studies that week dwelt on the book of Revelation and the End Times.

Revelation 6:12, "I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood."

I was a relatively new believer, knowing virtually nothing about Revelation, the End Times, prophecy, etc.  So that fateful Friday evening when our Bible study leader, Tom Fletcher, began to talk about the Tribulation, the Rapture, the End Times, etc. - I had no idea what he meant.  But no way was I going to admit that I was totally lost - prophetically illiterate.  So, I just smiled and kept my mouth shut -  not wanting to show my apparent Biblical ignorance.

 Why is it important that we study prophecy?

1. Prophecy validates our Bible:  There are over 1800 prophecies in our Bible - and except for those relating to the End Times, to the Second Coming of Christ - all have been proven, by secular and religious writings, to have been fulfilled - 100%

2. No other sacred book of any of the world religions contain prophecy. 

3. Many people pay lots of money and spend years of their lives - seeking to know the future.   They go to psychics, fortune tellers, and others who deal in dark spirits.  They open themselves up to the power of Satanic spirits.  And since non-believers do not have the protection of an indwelling Holy Spirit, they put themselves at great spiritual risk.

Yet, God has told us our future.  He has put it in writing, the Bible.  He has told us what will happen in the End Times.  He has told us about our eternal home and our eternal life.  We can know, for the price of a Bible and sincere Bible study, what will happen to us throughout never-ending eternity.  What else is important?

Virtually every book of the Old Testament contains prophecy.  And while many prophecies are referenced in the New Testament - the New Testament concludes with the key prophecy book, Revelation.

Matthew 1:23, "'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'"

Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

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John 1:23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' - as the prophet Isaiah said."

Isaiah 40:3, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"

1.  Christ was to be of king David’s Family  (John 7:42  -  Isaiah 9:6-7)
2.  Christ was to be Born of a Virgin (Matthew 1:23  -  Isaiah 7:14)

3.  Christ was to be Born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:6  -  Micah 5:2)

4.  Christ would Sojourn in Egypt (Matthew 2:14-15  -  Hosea 11:1)

5.  Christ would make a Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (John 12:12-15  -  Zechariah 9:9)

Let's look at an overview of the book of Revelation, encapsulated in Revelation 1:19:

Revelation 1:19, "Write the things which you have seen (Past: Jesus' earthly ministry and His glory)  -  and the things which are  (Present: church age)  -   and the things which will take place after this  (Future:  Rapture, Tribulation, Millennial Kingdom, Eternity)."

1. The things which you have seen:  John was to write the things he had just seen in his vision of the glorious, heavenly Jesus. (Rev 1)

2. The things which are:   John was to write about the things of his present day, the things reflected in the seven churches.  (Rev 2-3)

3. The things which will take place after this:  John was to write about the things that will happen in the last days.  (Rev 4-22)

Chapter 1 ~  The revelation given:  God - to Jesus Christ - to His Angel - to His bond-servant John - to the Seven Churches and to us.   His promised blessing for all who read or hear this book of prophecy.

Chapter 2 - 3  ~  Jesus' messages to the Seven Churches.

Chapter 4  ~  Rapture and Heavenly Worship; Bema Seat Judgment (part of the Rapture, during Tribulation).

Chapter 5  ~  Scrolls opened and the Lamb adored.

Chapter 6 - 18  ~  The Tribulation: Trials for Israel – purging of Israel and the nations.  The church is conspicuously absent in these chapters.

1.  The Seven Seals

2.  The Seven Trumpets

3.  The Seven Bowls of Wrath

Chapter 19  ~  Wedding Feast of the Lamb - King of king returns - Battle of Armageddon - Antichrist defeated.

Chapter 20  ~  Satan to the abyss - Millennial Reign of Christ - Satan released and final battle - Great White Throne Judgment.

Chapter 21  ~  New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem, Eternal Sonshine!

Chapter 22  ~  ETERNITY!    Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!   

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Now let's look at some key promises and teachings:

1. We often hear the word "Imminent."  What does it mean and, more important, WHICH event is Imminent?

2. Where do we find the doctrine of Imminency taught in the Bible?

Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." 

Matthew 25:13, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

Luke 12:40, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

Acts 1:7, "And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.' "

1 Thessalonians 5:2, "For you yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night."

3.  What is the Rapture?   Does it occur before the Tribulation (Pre-Trib)  -  in the middle of the Tribulation (Mid-Trib)  -  4/5 of the way through the Tribulation (Pre-Wrath)  -  or at the end of the Tribulation (Post-Trib)?

4.  Consider those Rapture alternatives:  Which Rapture scenario can truly be Imminent?  And why can't the others be Imminent?

5.  Is the "Rapture" really in the Bible?

About 400 AD the Bible was translated into Latin, called the Latin Vulgate.   In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 we are told, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. . .”   In Strong's Bible Concordance, the Greek word “harpazo” means “shall be caught up.”  In the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, the Greek word “harpazo” is translated into the Latin word “rapiemur” or “rapere” - from which we get our English word Rapture.  So, yes, the Bible does teach the Rapture, both in word and in concept.

6.  What Scripture verses/passages teach the Rapture?

John 14:1-3, "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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

1 Corinthians 15:50-54, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' "

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.   Therefore comfort one another with these words."

7.  Based upon the following Scripture verses, I believe the Bible teaches that the Christian church will be taken out before the Tribulation begins, i.e., a “PreTribulation” Rapture:

Revelation 3:10, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep (when the Rapture occurs), we will live together with Him.”

        
8.  What is theTribulation and what is God's purpose in the Tribulation?

Often in Scripture, some event must happen before a prophecy can occur.   For example, in Daniel 9:24 the Messiah had to be cut off (crucified) before the Holy Spirit would come into all believers in the Upper Room, indwelling those 120 disciples, and beginning the church age. 

In Daniel 9:27 the Antichrist must sign a false peace covenant with the nation Israel before the seven year Tribulation can begin. 

That seven year period, the Tribulation, is God's planned time to bring the remnant of His chosen people, Israel, back into His family.  That is the main purpose of the Tribulation, to bring the remnant of Israel into the family of God:

Daniel 9:24. "Seventy weeks are determined For your people (Israel) and for your holy city (Jerusalem), To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy."

The Tribulation, Israel's reconciliation with God, must happen before Christ will come again, His Second Coming in Glory.   Only one event, or prophecy, remains that is a gating factor for those End Time prophecies - (Tribulation, Second Coming, Millennial Kingdom, Great White Throne Judgment, Final Battle, Eternity) -  to be fulfilled.  That event is the Imminent Rapture of the church.  The Tribulation clock will not start ticking until after the PreTribulational Rapture when Israel signs a seven year covenant with the Antichrist.

What is the gating factor for the Imminent Rapture of the church?  There are no signs, no prophecies, left which must occur before the Rapture.  Does that mean that the Rapture is going to occur in my lifetime?  I cannot say and neither can anyone else.  We just know that it can happen at any moment - for there is nothing left which can hold it back.

Shortly after the Rapture the seven year Tribulation begins (Daniel 9:27).  The Tribulation is God's Judgment of Israel (Ezekiel 20:32-38, 34:17-22), His Refiner's Fire which will bring the remnant of His chosen people, Israel, into the fold - along with many Gentiles who will also be saved during the Tribulation:

Malachi 3:2-5, "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap.  He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years.  And I will come near you for judgment.  .  ."

Revelation 7:9-10, "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number (Jews and Gentiles), of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!' "

The church, the universal body of Christ, will be in heaven during the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9).   We are told that, at this time prior to the Rapture, the Holy Spirit is restraining the Antichrist.  After the Rapture, the Holy Spirit will no longer be a restraining force holding back the appearance of the Antichrist.  But, He will still be working among the people left behind during the Tribulation, bringing many to faith.

9.  What is the Millennial Kingdom?

When "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" - He created a perfect Garden of Eden environment to be the home of all His creation - man, animal, fish, and fowl.   When Christ returns to earth in glory, He will rule over an earth which has been restored to Edenic glory.  He will rule the earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem.

Who will populate the Millennial Kingdom?  We who return with Christ at His Second Coming will be there in our glorified immortal bodies.  And, at the end of the terrible Tribulation when Christ returns, although billions will have died during the Tribulation -- there will be many survivors, believers and non-believers.  What is Christ to do with these mortal survivors of the Tribulation?  He will convene the Sheep and Goat Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46) and mortal non-believers who have survived the Tribulation will go into eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46).  However, the believers who have survived the Tribulation will go into His Millennial Kingdom in their earthly mortal bodies (Matthew 25:34). 

10.  What are the Judgments of the End Time?  

Bema Seat Judgment / Believers' Judgment  -  Must happen concurrent with the Rapture (Romans 14:10, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54)

Sheep & Goat Judgment  -  Follows the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ (Matthew 25:31-46)

Great White Throne Judgment  -  Follows the Millennial Kingdom  (Revelation 20:1-15)

11.  What are the Final Battles of history?

Battle of Ezekiel 38, 39  - Prior to the Tribulation ~ Gog, Prince of Magog (Russia), with Iran, Ethiopia, Libya (Put), Gomer (Germanic and Crimean nations), and Beth-Togarmah (Armenian area) come to make war against Israel.  God will supernaturally destroy their armies.

Battle of Armageddon  - Following the Tribulation  ~ Revelation 16:14-16 (Preparation), Revelation 19:17-19 (Antichrist & False Prophet defeated, into lake of fire)

Satan's Final War with Christ  -  Following the Millennial Kingdom  ~ Revelation 20:7-10 - Satan will gather an enormous army from the apathetic Millennial born and come against Christ and the holy city, Jerusalem.   God will supernaturally destroy his army and send Satan to the lake of fire.

12.   My Acts 17:11 Moment with Dr. Tim LaHaye and other End Times expositors.

Dr. Tim LaHaye, in his book "Revelation Unveiled" page 325-326, tells us there are three phases to the First Resurrection (Revelation 20:5b):

1. The Church at the Rapture - the dead in Christ resurrected, those alive "caught up" or raptured.

2.  Seven years later the Old Testament Saints - after the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, but before the Second Coming.

3.  The Tribulation Saints will be resurrected at or following His Second Coming.

In Revelation 5b and 6, John merges them all together when he says, "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection."

Let's just take a common sense look at that position.  We know from 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 that the only way to enter heaven is in spirit, such as happens for our church age believers, or in glorified bodies, such as we will be at the Rapture. We will have glorified bodies like Christ when we meet Him.

1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

We are told that upon His death Christ went into Hades/Paradise (Bosom of Abraham) where all Old Testament saints waited to enter heaven through Jesus Christ.  In Ephesians 4:8 we are told that He led the captives (those saints waiting in Paradise) into heaven.

Since when we meet Him in the air at the Rapture and receive our glorified bodies to be like Him - why would He not have given those OT saints their glorified bodies when they met Him in Paradise and He led them into heaven?  So I am convinced that the OT saints are in heaven in their glorified bodies and we will join them at the Rapture.

Revelation 7:9-10 tells us that a large multitude, too large to count, of martyred Tribulation saints are in heaven, standing before the throne of God. Are they still in spirit only - while the church and the OT saints are already in their glorified bodies?  Since they and the OT saints are surely all invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb - I would suggest that the Bride and the guests, OT saints and Tribulation saints are all in our glorified bodies.

Those Tribulation believers who were not martyred, but survived the seven year Tribulation - will stand before Christ at the Sheep & Goat Judgment - and then enter His Millennial Kingdom in their mortal bodies.

Revelation 7:9-10, "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number (Jews and Gentiles), of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!' "

13.  Let's talk about the Seven Churches of Revelation 2-3:

A discussion of the Seven Churches of Asia is very important - for in those seven ancient churches we see so much of what is good and what is bad in our churches today.  It is important for us to have a good understanding of these seven churches - for they give us a clear picture of what Jesus sees in our churches today.  And Revelation chapters 2-3 gives us a vision of how He will judge the false, apostate, dead, and compromising churches of our day.