LAST TO LEAVE What the Bible really says about the End of Time! FREE PDF COPY All Rights Reserved by Author BOB HIGHLANDS III i A Gift to the Church I have grown tired of the chicken little prophets crying the sky is falling or more exactly that they have discovered the long lost secret to interpret it, it being the Word of God concerning the end of time. This past year saw again these prophets of doom declaring all the signs are in place for Jesus to come back. They quote scripture and lay out elaborate prophetic plans that weave a story of reading the signs along with their newest discoveries about how to interpret them correctly. It is now common for major internet web pages to have those who lay out the latest reason to believe the end is near as regular contributors. What if they are wrong? Not about the end being near, but about all the signs. What if most of what they are saying about how to read the signs are incorrect? I believe Jesus is coming back to bring time to a close and to usher in His eternal kingdom. There will be a great judgment and all the living will either join Jesus in heaven as their reward for believing and obeying or find they will spend eternity separated from Him in punishment for rejecting Him. The question everyone seems to want to know is when is He coming back and how can we know for sure. I have laid out this book in a different manner. It is not designed to startle you or impress anyone. It is designed to allow scripture to explain scripture instead of using the popular culture to explain the Word of God. It is designed to systematically look at the foundation of prophecy concerning the end of time moving toward answering the question about what we can know, and what we will never know until the end. The sky is not falling but I do believe the end of time is coming and there is much we can know about this event from the Word of God. If you want all the answers now, then read the final chapter on pages 277-279. I have outlined the conclusion from every chapter there. I have put the details on understanding these conclusions in the rest of the book. This free PDF copy of my book Last to Leave is available to read and share with others. If you would like a printed copy or more information, go to BobHighlands.faith. ii Last to Leave What the Bible really says about the End of Time Copyright © 2015 Robert E. Highlands III All rights reserved solely by the author. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or any other- except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior permission. This free PDF version cannot be printed or sold and can only be shared in its entire form. Not to be modified in any form without the expressed prior permission of the author. ________________________________________________ For more information or to order a printed copy of this book go to: BobHighlands.faith iii Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NASB taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scriptures marked RSV taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NLT are quoted by permission. all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, NLT, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. iv Other books and materials available at bobhighlands.faith Elementary Christianity What every believer needs to know. The Real Jesus Journals and Study Guides Volumes 1-4 The Journey The Six basic truths that are the foundation of the Christian Faith Is This Heaven For Real A Biblical exposition of the book Heaven is For Real Removing the Mask A Monograph On Developing Open Communications in Local Church Leadership The Story Unfolds A personal journey through the Word of God v Contents INTRODUCTION 1 LAST TO LEAVE TURN OUT THE LIGHTS 5 CHECK THE FOUNDATION 21 MARKS-A-LOT 43 DIGITS IN GOD’S COMPUTER 57 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT 77 THE ANTI-CHRIST, REPLACING JESUS 91 THE THIRD TEMPLE 97 THE BATTLE THAT NEVER HAPPENS 107 HEAVEN, HEAVEN, OR HEAVEN? 117 ONE LAST CHAIN OF EVENTS 131 THE MILTON MESS 137 THE GOSPEL TO THE WHOLE WORLD 145 MATTHEW 24 & 25 THE OLIVET DISCOURSE 149 THE BOOK OF REVELATION 191 THE SATAN MESS 239 LAST TO LEAVE FINAL THOUGHTS 277 END NOTES 281 vi vii Last to Leave Introduction “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."1 Jesus of Nazareth This book is not designed to answer every question about every prophecy. It is designed to lay a foundation that will allow the reader to have the necessary knowledge to discover the truth, ultimately allowing the person to discern truth from confusion and lies. Some would say it does not matter and would ask why study theology at all. It is as Ben Witherington III wrote in his commentary on Revelation; “bad theology leads to bad ethics, and bad religion leads to immorality.”2 The downfall of nations is based upon what they believe or what they fail to understand and perceive. Without God based standards anything goes. Examine the culture and its morals and you will know if those people truly believe and serve God or themselves and their own base passions. In such a society unborn babies may be aborted for convenience and murderers let go free in some reversed and warped sense of compassion. Alternate lifestyles will become social choices and personal happiness will trump the directions and moral code of God. To examine the end time events is to be aware that the final destination and adjudication of each person’s final destination is not a matter to be overlooked or taken for granted. In other words, theology and what a person believes and how they live does matter. Bad theology leads to bad decisions. This is also true for the believer who follows the teachings of man over the Word of God. Most of what is believed today about the end of time does not come from the Holy Bible but from the way it is put together by bad theologians and, in our modern time, movie producers. What amazes me the most is how many believers read the Word and don’t pay attention to what it really says and what Jesus taught about the end of time and his kingdom. Yet, these same individuals are willing 1 What the Bible Really Says About the End of Time to swallow anything put up on a movie or TV screen as valid, and in their minds this becomes Biblical truth. Again and again you will have to make some tough decisions if you read this book and pay attention to what is laid out here. Either you will have to believe what you have heard somewhere, possibly even in a church, or you will have to believe the Son of God and the inspired scriptures. If you stick with the popular narrative that is being taught today you will have to blot out the words and teachings of Jesus or twist them to mean something far different than what he said. If you dig deep within the Word of God and use the four simple rules of interpretation3 to keep you on track, your life will be changed and you will discover the truth many are ignoring. There is one really tough thing you will need to learn about truth. It is not always kind or on your side. Truth is on the side of Jesus and often runs contrary to the teachings and logic of humanity. As I prepare this manuscript, the movie NOAH starring Russell Crowe is playing in movie theatres around the world. I had read the reviews and thought I was ready for the movie. I even saw the ad for it in World Magazine.4 It says the movie was “inspired by the epic story of hope, courage and survival.” That was encouraging. It also says, “The film is inspired by the story of Noah. While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide.” I wanted to see the movie so last Saturday I went while my wife was at work. She said she was not interested. I bought my ticket and decided I was going in with an open mind. I wondered when it would depart from the Bible version or how far it would depart. The previews played; there was nothing to interest me there. Then the movie started. It was not two minutes into the movie when suddenly there were rock monsters helping Adam and Eve after they were thrown out of the Garden of Eden.