Signs of the Times

A PUBLICATION MINISTRY OF THE PRE-TRIB RESEARCH CENTER Volume IX • Number 150 • March 2017 ED’S PERSpeCTIVES TOM’S PERSpeCTIVES Tribulation Signs of After The The Times Rapture BY DR. ED HINDSON BY DR. THOmaS ICE Jesus warned His disciples that in the last days Many Christians today believe there are signs there would be a period of time more horrific and pointing to an imminent rapture of the church. traumatic than any other time in human history. He However, the rapture is a signless event; thus, there was, of course, referring to the Great Tribulation: are not and never will develop signs of the time “There will be great tribulation, such as has not been indicating that the rapture is near. This is true since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor because the rapture is imminent, it could happen ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21). at any moment and no prophesied event must take The disciples were familiar with this prophesied place in order for the rapture to then occur. It is time of anguish, for many of the Hebrew prophets of impossible for an imminent event to have signs. If old had warned Israel about a future period of intense signs are related to an event then it would indicate suffering. The prophet Jeremiah called it “the time of that it was near or not near, and thus could not hap- Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7). Throughout the Old and pen until after the signs were present. Thus, signs New Testaments, the Tribulation is referred to by would have to precede the event, which would mean a variety of names including “the day of the Lord” that the event could not happen at any moment (1 Thess. 5:2), the seventieth week of Daniel (Dan. until after the signs appeared. Since the rapture is 9:27), “a day of desolation” (Zeph. 1:15), “the wrath said in the New Testament to be an event that could to come” (1 Thess. 1:10), “the hour of judgment” (Rev. occur at any moment (1 Cor. 1:7; 16:22; Phil. 3:20; 14:7), and “the great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21). Not 4:5; 1 Thess. 1:10; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; Jam. 5:7-9; only is the Tribulation mentioned in more than 60 1 Pet. 1:13; Jude 21; Rev. 3:ll; 22:7, 12, 17, 20) then passages in the Bible, but more space is allotted to it it cannot be related to any signs at all. However, as than any other subject except for salvation and the I shall show later, this does not mean that there are second coming of Christ. not signs of the time that do relate to other aspects Both the prophet Daniel and the apostle John of God’s plan. stated this period would last seven years (Dan. Some wonder if there are signs indicating the 9:24-27; Rev. 11:2-3). After rising to power, the evil end of the church age in which we currently live. It “prince who is to come” (Dan. 9:26), the Antichrist, would be too strong to say there are signs of the end will make a covenant with Israel. This event will of the church age. Instead, the Bible indicates what Continued on page 2 Continued on page 7 “LOOKING FOR THE BLESSED HOPE AND THE APPEARING OF THE GLORY OF OUR GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR, CHRIST JESUS.” TITUS 2:13 signal the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation truth: “I will show wonders in the heavens and in the period. Three and a half years into the Tribulation, earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun at the halfway point, the Antichrist will break shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, the covenant by desecrating the rebuilt Temple in before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Jerusalem. This will usher in the Great Tribulation, Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on a period of suffering and terror worse than any that the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:30-32). mankind has ever experienced in history. Although the Tribulation lasts only seven years, the devasta- THE TRIBULATION SAINTS tions unleashed during that time will seem endless The untold millions who miss the rapture to those who must face them. because of their rejection of God will still have an opportunity to become saved. The apostle John THE NATURE OF THE TRIBULATION writes : “After these things I looked, and behold, a great Through various prophetic passages found in the multitude which no one could number, of all nations, Bible, we learn that the Tribulation will be . tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne • a time of judgment for those who reject the and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with Savior palm branches in their hands” (Rev. 7:9). • a time of conclusion for those who rebel against These Tribulation saints, whose numbers are so God large they can’t be counted, come to the Lord as a • a time of decision for those who will be forced result of the Tribulation’s trials — demonstrating that to choose between Christ and the Antichrist our holy God is a God who will continue to show • a time of chaos designed to shake mankind’s His love and mercy to mankind even in the last days. false sense of security When John asked, “Who is this great multitude?” the • a time of unprecedented revival, resulting in reply was “These are the ones who come out of the great the greatest soul harvest in history tribulation” (Rev. 7:14). No wonder the apostle Peter When will the Tribulation take place? Although was able to write, “The Lord is not slack concerning His no exact date is given, the Bible indicates in Matthew promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering 24:29-31 that it must occur immediately before the toward us, not willing that any should perish but that glorious appearing of Christ, when Jesus Himself all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). returns to Earth to destroy the Antichrist. It will also occur after the rapture of the church, when all THOSE LEFT BEHIND those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ In many respects, the rapture will set the stage will be instantly removed from the planet in order for the coming Tribulation. Following the disap- to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:15-18). pearance of millions upon millions of Christians Those who view the Tribulation as primarily a from the face of the Earth, the world will be in a time of wrath overlook the fact that it is also a time state of shock and chaos that defies comprehension. of mercy and grace. The Lord is not some angry This will prepare the way perfectly for the rise of monster heaping catastrophes upon the heads of the Antichrist. He will come to power peaceably innocent men and women. In reality, the people who using diplomacy — as represented by the rider on suffer the judgments of God during the Tribulation the white horse, the first of the four horsemen of are not innocent. Not only do these rebels reject the Apocalypse (Rev. 6:1-2). His charm and outward God and His free offer of salvation, they indulge compassion will bring badly needed comfort to a in every vile sin known to mankind, including the populace on the brink of mass hysteria. massacre of those who come to Christ during this The controlled media will be used to effectively time. Even then, God’s hope is that these rebels coerce the world into adopting this new leader as will at some point turn to Him. The Tribulation the man of the hour. Ongoing efforts to discredit judgments therefore serve a dual purpose: to punish the Bible and other prophetic books such as the Left hardened sinners, and to move others to repentance. Behind series, which foretold the rapture and the The following Scripture passage exemplifies this rise of the Antichrist in advance, will be a top pri- 2 ority of the new world government. Every attempt judgments, which is why many prophecy students will be made to convince the confused populace consider these judgments to be chronological: The that those who have been left behind are, in fact, the first six seals cover 21 months, then the break- lucky ones, even though nothing could be further ing of the seventh seal introduces the next seven from the truth. trumpet judgments, which take place during the The spiritual vacuum left by the disappearance of second quarter or the second 21 months of the first millions of Christians will also enable the Antichrist half of the Tribulation. The sealing of the 144,000 to further his plan for a forced one-world religion. “servants of our God” probably occurs at the begin- This pagan religion will unite all religions — with ning of this period, and they witness all during it, the lone exception of biblical Christianity — into along with the special two witnesses describe in one. In the midst of all this, the Holy Spirit will Revelation 11. work through the 144,000 evangelists and the two witnesses in Jerusalem to draw countless numbers THE TWO WITNESSES of people to Christ during the Tribulation — despite In the last days, God will have the gospel mes- the fact that such a choice will most likely result in sage proclaimed worldwide so that people are martyrdom.

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