SEVEN GREAT EVENTS OF FUTURE PROPHECY--I THESSALONIANS 4:13-5:11

SEVEN GREAT EVENTS OF FUTURE PROPHECY

I THESSALONIANS 4:13-5:11

PART ONE

Introduction:

Jesus taught his disciples that He would die, be buried, and rise again on the third day. Then He told them that He would return, John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

The Thessalonian Church got so excited about this promise that they would not work. Paul had to write to inform them of the signs that would precede the Lord’s coming in order for them to serve the Lord correctly.

2,000 years have passed since the Lord made that promise and He has not returned yet. Scoffers have ridiculed the idea of His Second Coming, and many Christian have grown cold.

Here we will discuss the “Seven Great Events of Future Prophecy.” God’s program of future prophecy extends over 1007 years and then into eternity.

FIRST, in order to understand these things, we need to know that we are in the “LATTER TIMES OF THE LAST DAYS.” In Matthew 24:36 Jesus tells us that no man knows the day or the hour of the Coming of Christ. However, immediately after making that statement He declares that the coming of the Lord will be in times like the times of NOAH. We are not told the day or the hour, but we are told of the SEASON.

CERTAIN SIGNS mark the season, such as….

• Mockers, Jude 18, “How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”

• Scoffers, 2 Peter 3:3, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,”

• Perilous times, 2 Timothy 3:1, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

• A departure from the Truth, 1 Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”

SECONDLY, we need to understand that there are TWO PHASES to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ:

FIRST PHASE:

In the Air, as a thief, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” This brings JOY and BLESSING.

SECOND PHASE:

To the earth; every eye will se Him, Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.“ This will bring SORROW and JUDGMENT.

In order to rightly divide the Scriptures we must understand that the Coming of Jesus has two phases. Titus 2:13 tells us of the “blessed hope,” which is the FIRST PHASE, and the “glorious appearing,” which is the SECOND PHASE.

EVENT # 1: THE RAPTURE OF THE SAINTS: This is the FIRST PHASE of the Coming of the Lord.

A. The dead in Christ are resurrected, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”

B. The living saints are caught up to the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

C. The Saints are changed, 2 Corinthians 15:51-57.

EVENT # 2: THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST.

Romans 14:11-12, “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12-So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

A. In the PAST, we were judged as SINNERS.

1. Our sins were paid for on Calvary by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

2. The Judgment Seat of Christ will not be a judgment for sin.

B. In the PRESENT we are judged as SONS.

1. Here we are subject to our heavenly Father’s discipline.

2. Our disobedience here will bring chastisement in this life.

C. In the FUTURE we will be judged as SERVANTS and STEWARDS. When believers stand before the Lord there will be…

1. An Examination, 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

2. A Manifestation, 1 Corinthians 3:13, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

3. An Accounting, Romans 14:10-12, “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11-For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12-So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

4. A Rewarding, 1 Corinthians 3:8-14, “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.”

a. Rewards gained will be deposited at the feet of Jesus, Revelation 4:10, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne.”

b. Rewards are lost, but not salvation, 1 Corinthians 3:15, “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

EVENT # 3: SEVEN YEARS OF TRIBULATION.

Following the rapture of the believers, the world will undergo the divine judgment of God. This time is called…

A. The Day of God’s Vengeance, Isaiah 34:8, “For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.”

B. The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, Jeremiah 30:7, “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”

C. The Great Day of His Wrath, Revelation 6:17, “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

D. The Indignation, Isaiah 26:20, “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.”

E. The Great Tribulation, Matthew 24:21, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

1. Nothing in man’s previous history will match this period. It is marked by…

• Horrible wars, earthquakes

• Famines, stinging locusts

• Darkened skies, falling stars, gigantic hail stones

• Cancerous sores, Bloody seas, etc.

2. During this period, the last 3 ½ years, the Antichrist will reign over a one-world government, one-world economy (the mark of the beast, 666), and a one-world church, a false religion.

EVENT # 4: THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST TO THE EARTH.

A. The only hope of the earth is the return of Jesus Christ.

B. This is second Phase of the Coming of the Lord.

1. Christ’s return to the earth is at the end of the Tribulation period.

2. The Lord returns to make war on His enemies, Revelation 19:11-12, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12- His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.”

3. Satan is taken prisoner and bound for a thousand years, Revelation 20:2-3, “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3-And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

C. All of His Saints return with Him.

1. The Lord returns with all of His saints to set up His kingdom, Jude 14, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,” 2 Thessslonians 1:7-9, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8-In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9-Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;”

2. The saints will rule and reign with him during His one thousand-year reign, Revelation 5:9, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

EVENT # 5: THE 1,000 YEAR (MILLENNIAL) REIGN OF CHRIST ON THE EARTH.

A. Jesus Christ will literally reign on the earth.

1. A Glorious time, Revelation 20:1-6.

2. John mentions this 1,000-year period six times in Revelation 20.

B. Satan will be bound in chains during the millenium. Because of this the earth will enjoy…

• Peace, Isaiah 2:4, “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

• Joy, Isaiah 9:3-4, “Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4-For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.”

• Holiness, Isaiah 1:26-27, “And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. 27-Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.”

• Glory, Isaiah 24:23, “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”

• Comfort, Isaiah 12:1, “And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.”

• Justice, Isaiah 9:7, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

• Freedom from oppression, Isaiah 14:3-6, “And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 4-That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5-The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 6-He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth."

• Prosperity, Isaiah 35: 1-2, “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2-It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.”

C. Jesus will sit on the Throne of David, Isaiah 9:7, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

D. At the end of this period Satan is loosed to deceive the nations again, Revelation 20:3, “And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

EVENT # 6: THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT.

A. The Final Judgment.

B. The resurrection of the unbelieving dead. The “small and great” will be there.

C. All unsaved of all ages brought before God, Revelation 20:11-15.

D. The Devil and his angels are cast into the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

EVENT # 7: ETERNITY.

A. The Old Heaven and Earth are destroyed, 2 Peter 3:10-11, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11-Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,”

B. A New Heaven and a New Earth, 2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

C. The Believers will discover the goodness, graciousness, and the glory of God, Ephesians 2:7, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”