Recently I read a book entitled The Ultimate Proof of Creation by Dr. Jason Lisle. In it he presents an argument against evolution that cannot be logically refuted, which he calls the “ultimate proof”. The book is very thorough and well-done and I strongly recommend reading the entire thing. What I wanted to do here is give a brief summary of his arguments (which, sadly, do not do the book justice).

Sometimes, when creationists debate evolutionists, the debate turns into a contest to see who has the most evidence. Creationists bring out things they believe proves their case, and evolutionists bring out things they believe prove their case. They then try to see who has the most evidence on their side.

Dr. Lisle points out that evidence doesn’t work that way. Evidence does not speak for itself; it must be interpreted. To give you an example – last year I was watching the History Channel and saw a documentary on some dinosaur bones someone had dug up. To their surprise they found living blood cells inside those bones! Creationists argued that this proves that dinosaurs lived recently, and therefore creation is true. Evolutionists argued that this proves that blood cells can live for millions of years, because there they were, still alive after all that time! The evidence was the same but the interpretation was vastly different because evolutionists and creationists have different worldviews.

The worldview is all-important. An evolutionist believes that evolution is true and therefore interprets everything in that light. If he finds living blood cells in a dinosaur bone then to him that proves blood cells can live for million of years, since he assumes evolution is true. The idea that evolution is true is a founding assumption that he does not question. To him there can be no such thing as evidence against evolution – he can always find some way to explain away problems.

Dr. Lisle said that this is accomplished through something he called a “rescuing device”. The example he gave in his book was the Oort Cloud. Scientists know that comets can only last for a few tens of thousands of years before the Sun’s heat burns away all the comet’s ice and gasses and destroys them. If the solar system is billions of years old then there should no longer be any comets. Creationists argue that this is evidence for creation. Evolutionists say that since comets exist, that means there must be a cloud of comets on the edge of the solar system, and occasionally one gets disturbed and thrown into orbit around the Sun. They say this not because anyone has ever seen the Oort Cloud (they say it is too far away to be seen even with our best telescopes), but because this “rescues” their theory. In order for their theory to be true that must be the case. Therefore, the Oort Cloud exists.

So, while there is all sorts of evidence for creation, the evidence is not the real issue. The real problem is two competing worldviews – the Biblical one of creationists, and the evolutionary one of evolutionists. It is the worldview that needs to be addressed. No matter what evidence creationists bring to the table, evolutionists can always use a “rescuing device” to explain it away, as they do with comets and the Oort Cloud. In other words, the real battle is between competing worldviews. In order to disprove evolution once and for all you must show that the evolutionary worldview is irrational. That is what the ultimate proof of creation is all about.

This is how Dr. Jason Lisle defines the ultimate proof:

“The ultimate proof of creation is this: if biblical creation were not true, we could not know anything!” (Page 40)

He goes on to say that “only the Christian worldview…can rationally make sense of the universe.” Evolution cannot explain the laws of logic. It cannot give a reason for the uniformity of nature (the idea that physical laws apply equally everywhere, and will continue to work in the future). Nor can it give any basis for morality or even knowledge itself. This is how he puts it:

“In fact, if evolution were true, there wouldn’t be any rational reason to believe it! If life is the result of evolution, then it means that an evolutionist’s brain is simply the outworking of millions of years of random-chance processes. The brain would simply be a collection of chemical reactions that have been preserved because they had some sort of survival value in the past. If evolution were true, then all the evolutionist’s thoughts are merely the necessary result of chemistry acting over time. Therefore, an evolutionist must think and say that “evolution is true”, not for rational reasons, but as a necessary consequence of blind chemistry…

“Evolution is anti-science and anti-knowledge. If evolution were true, science would not make sense because there would be no reasons to accept the uniformity of nature upon which all science and technology depend. Nor would there by any reason to think that rational analysis would be possible since the thoughts of our mind would be nothing more than the inevitable result of mindless chemical reactions. Evolutionists are able to do science and gain knowledge only because they are inconsistent – professing to believe in evolution while accepting the principles of biblical creation.” (page 62)

This is not necessarily intuitive, so let me expound on this a bit. Let’s take the example of morality. If evolution were true there could be no such thing as right or wrong. After all, “right” means it conforms to a universal standard of behavior, and “wrong” means it falls short of that standard. This makes sense in a Biblical worldview because God sets the standard. Murder and theft and lying are wrong because they violates God’s standard. That is the only reason they are wrong.

However, in an evolutionary worldview there is no absolute moral standard. Nothing, therefore, can actually be wrong. Individuals may have their own personal beliefs about right and wrong, but there could never be a standard that applies equally to everyone. Person A may think that stealing is wrong while Person B thinks that stealing is right. Person A would have no grounds to condemn Person B because without God there cannot be a higher standard that applies equally to everyone. I’ve heard some argue that “Well, if it hurts people it’s bad”, but that is a Christian idea. If there is no God then why is hurting people bad? Why would one person’s definition of “bad” apply to anyone else? After all, in that case we’re all just chemical reactions. Does it matter what one chemical reaction does to another? Evolutionists claim that there is no real difference between an animal and a person – and if an animal kills another animal we don’t call it murder.

People inherently believe that things are right and wrong because there is a God, and He has set a very clear standard that He put into all of our hearts. In a Biblical worldview there is a reason to believe in morality. But in an evolutionary worldview there is no reason to believe in a universal standard of behavior. Therefore, if evolution were true, morality would be irrational. If an evolutionist believes in morality then he is borrowing from a Biblical worldview, as his own worldview provides no rational basis for that belief.

The same thing can be said about the laws of logic. Dr. Lisle points out that people believe in things such as the law of non-contradiction, which says that something cannot be both true and false at the same time. For example, I cannot say that my car is parked in my garage, and that at the same time my car is not parked in my garage. It must be one or the other. The laws of logic are foundational to our ability to perform science, make sense of the universe, and perform reason.

In a Biblical worldview there is a reason to believe in the laws of logic. This is what Dr. Lisle said:

“For the Christian there is an absolute standard for reasoning; we are to pattern our thoughts after God’s. And we know (in a finite, limited way) how God thinks because He has revealed some of His thoughts through His Word. According to Genesis, God has made us in His image (Gen 1:26) and therefore we are to follow His example (Eph. 5:1). The laws of logic are a reflection of the way God thinks, and thus the way He expects us to think. The law of non-contradiction is not simply one person’s opinion of how we ought to think, rather it stems from God’s self-consistent nature. God cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13), and all truth is in God (John 14:6, Col. 2:3), therefore truth will not contradict itself. Since God is constantly upholding the universe by His power (Heb. 1:3), the consistent Christian expects that no contradiction will ever occur in the universe.

“Laws of logic are God’s standard for thinking. Since God is an unchanging, sovereign, immaterial Being, His thoughts would necessarily be abstract, universe, invariant entities. In other words, they are not made of matter, they apply everywhere, at all times. Laws of logic are contingent upon God’s unchanging nature. And they are a prerequisite for logical thinking. Thus, rational reasoning would be impossible without the biblical God.” (Page 52)

Do you see what he is saying? In a Biblical worldview there is a reason to believe that the laws of logic are universal and unchanging because they reflect the character of God and are upheld by His power. However, an evolutionist has no reason to believe any of these things. He has no reason to believe that the laws of logic will not change this afternoon, or that they apply equally on Mars as they do on Earth, or that one day he will not come across a logical contradiction. He may believe that the laws of logic are universal, but he does not have a reason to believe this. Since he has no reason to believe in logic, logic is therefore irrational in an evolutionary worldview. If he believes in logic then he must borrow from a Biblical worldview, as evolution provides no rational reason to believe in logic.

The book has a great deal more to say about all of this but I’ll close with just one more point. Dr. Lisle states that if evolution were true science would actually be impossible. This is because science depends upon something called uniformity. It’s the idea that if you perform an experiment and get a certain result, you will always get that same result as long as the conditions are the same. In other words, the physical laws that we see today are going to be the same tomorrow, and next week, and next year, and the year after that. Physical laws do not change. Science is only possible because we believe that the experimental results we get today will never change. This allows us to make predictions about the future and actually learn how the universe works.

In a Biblical worldview there is a reason to believe in uniformity. This is how Dr. Lisle put it:

“The biblical creationist expects there to be order in the universe because God made all things (Gen 1:1; John 1:3) and has imposed order on the universe. Since the Bible teaches that God upholds all things by His power (Heb. 1:3), the creationist expects that the universe would function in a logical, orderly, law-like fashion. Furthermore, God is consistent (1 Sam. 15:29; Num. 23:19) and omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-8). Thus, the creationist expects that all regions of the universe will obey the same laws, even in regions where the physical conditions are quite different. The entire field of astronomy depends upon this important biblical principle.

“Moreover, God is beyond time (2 Pet. 3:8) and has chosen to uphold the universe in a consistent fashion throughout time for our benefit. So even though conditions in the past may be quite different than those in the present and future, the way God upholds the universe (what we could call the “laws of nature”) will not arbitrarily change. God has told us that there are certain things we can count on to be true in the future – the seasons, the diurnal cycle, and so on (Gen. 8:22; Jer. 33:20-21). Therefore, under a given set of conditions, the consistent Christian has the right to expect a given outcome because he or she relies upon the Lord to uphold the universe in a consistent way.” (Page 58)

Without the concept of uniformity science would become impossible. If the laws of physics changed arbitrarily, or if experimental results were constantly changing, then it would be impossible to know anything. In a Biblical worldview there is a reason to believe in uniformity. In an evolutionary worldview, however, there is no reason to believe this. Scientists may believe that uniformity is true but they must borrow from a Biblical worldview to believe this.

Some may say that “in the past things have always been the same, so I believe that will continue to be the case in the future,” but people who say that are just assuming their argument is true in order to prove their argument. As Dr. Lisle pointed out, you might as well say that I believe I will never die because I’ve never died in the past! They have no reason to believe in uniformity. Therefore, their belief in uniformity is irrational.

In conclusion, the Biblical worldview provides good reasons to believe in morality, in the laws of logic, and in uniformity. This is not the case for the evolutionary worldview. If evolution is true, then morality is irrational, logic is irrational, and even science has no rational basis. If evolution were true it would be impossible to know anything – our thoughts would just be chemical reactions in our brain, and a chemical reaction doesn’t “know” anything; it just is. Evolution destroys the very possibility for science or knowledge. Since it cannot rationally explain the universe it must be wrong – and since only Biblical creation can provide reasons for explaining the universe, it must be true. That is the ultimate proof.

In Daniel chapter 9 we find this intriguing passage:

Daniel 9:20: “And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God;
21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”

As you can see in verse 24, the angel Gabriel told Daniel that seventy “weeks” had been set aside. This is one time when I must take issue with the King James translation of the Bible. The word in verse 24 is not the Hebrew word for week, which is shavuot. The verse instead uses the word shavuim, which simply means “sevens”. It does not refer to seven days, but seven of something. It is like the English word “dozen”. When someone says “dozen” it tells you that they are speaking of twelve of something, but without more information that is all you know. A better translation of verse 24 would be 70 sevens. In this context the item being counted is years. 70 sevens therefore refers to 70 periods of seven years, or 490 years.

At this point you may be wondering what this has to do with the Great Tribulation. As we’ll see in a moment, the Tribulation is the last “seven” in that group, or the 70th period of 7 years. A better title for this paper might have been “The purpose of the 70 sevens”, but I have a feeling that would have confused just about everybody! The title is still accurate, for the last 7 years is assigned the same purpose as the first 483 years.

In verse 24 the angel tells us that a period of 490 years had been set aside for “thy people”. Since the angel was talking to Daniel, and Daniel was a Jew, the people the angel is talking about must be the Jews. This is further emphasized by the fact the verse mentions “thy holy city”. Taken together, “thy people” must be the Jews, and “thy holy city” must be Jerusalem. I see no reason in the text to interpret this any other way.

The angel then lists a number of reasons why God has set aside this period of 490 years:

• To finish “the” transgression
• To make an end of sins
• To make reconciliation for iniquity
• To bring in everlasting righteousness
• To seal up the vision
• To anoint the most Holy. (The Hebrew indicates this is a place, not a person.)

It’s worth asking: whose transgressions are being finished? Whose sins are ended? Whose iniquity is being reconciled? I think the answer must be Israel. Verse 24 does not say “This period has been established for the whole world”; it specifically points out Israel and Jerusalem. They are the ones being targeted. When this period of 490 years has ended Israel’s transgression will be finished, her sins will be ended, and her iniquity will be reconciled.

It is worth noting that verse 24 specifically says the transgression. This is not an accident of translation; the Hebrew text has a definitive article here. The angel is talking about a specific transgression that will be finished. I believe the transgression being discussed is Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. Throughout history Israel has rejected Jesus as her Messiah, and in fact continues to rebel against Him to this very day. However, Zechariah foresaw a time when that would change:

Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”

This passage speaks of a future time when the Jews, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (the very same people mentioned in Daniel 9:24!), realize that they rejected their Messiah and then mourn over Him with great anguish. This will happen at the end of the 490 years. Israel will realize what they have done and will turn back to God. Their rebellion will come to a final end and, as Gabriel said, their sins will be finished:

Jeremiah 21:31: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

This passage echoes Daniel 9:24 very closely. It speaks of a new covenant with the house of Israel. It is very important to realize that this passage is not directed at the Church, which didn’t even exist at the time. Jeremiah 21:31 does not say “I will make a new covenant with all people”. It specifically lists Israel – not once, but twice (verse 31 and 33). I have seen people apply this passage to the Church but I do not think that is valid. (I realize the book of Hebrews quotes this verse, but to whom was the book of Hebrews written? Why, to the Hebrews. The Jews, in fact. There are some promises in the Bible that are specific to the Jews and do not apply to the Church as a whole. But that is a topic for another day.)

What we see here is that when this period of time is over Israel’s iniquity will be forgiven, her sins will be forgotten, and all of the Jews will know the Lord. Notice that verse 34 really does say “they shall all know me”. Paul made this same point in Romans chapter 11.

So, what we see in Daniel 9 is that 490 years have been set aside to bring an end to Israel’s rebellion against God. Gabriel, however, has more details to share:

Daniel 9:25: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”

This verse says that the Messiah will appear 483 years (that’s 69 periods of 7 years each) after the decree goes out to rebuild Jerusalem. This period of time broken into two parts; there is a period of 49 years, followed by a period of 434 years. It should be noted, as a matter of historical fact, that after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was issued it took 49 years to rebuild that city (which you can read about in the book of Nehemiah). Then, 434 years after Jerusalem was rebuilt, the Messiah was crucified. There were exactly 483 years from the time the decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem until the death of Christ on the cross. (As an aside, when the Bible mentions years in prophecies it uses 360-day years. A detailed discussion as to why that is the case is outside the scope of this paper, but I wanted to mention it.)

Had the Jews been paying attention they would have known exactly when the Messiah would die. However, they weren’t paying attention, and the consequences were very severe:

Luke 19:41: “And when he [Jesus] was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay the even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”

Jesus says here that Jerusalem was destroyed because the Jews did not know “the time of thy visitation”. They should have realized that Jesus was the Messiah but they didn’t. They ignored the very clear prophecy in Daniel that specified exactly when Christ would come. There should have been nothing unexpected about His arrival.

As an aside, this is one reason why liberal scholars hate the book of Daniel. For years they claimed that the prophecies in it must have been added centuries later because they reject the very idea of prophecy. (It’s amazing how the Bible must be wrong simply because it disagrees with somebody’s theory. What kind of logic is that?) This theory died a quick death when copies of the book of Daniel were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls – copies that predated the birth of Jesus by centuries.

Daniel 9:26 goes on to say what we’ve just said – that the Messiah would be killed at the end of the 483rd year:

Daniel 9:26: “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”

Notice that it says “after 62 weeks”. Keep in mind verse 25 says there will be 7 weeks, followed by 62 weeks. The 7 weeks (or 49 years) were the rebuilding of Jerusalem; after those years were finished the 62 weeks (or 434 years) took place. The Messiah died 69 weeks later (or 62 weeks + 7 weeks), which is 483 years. Once again, this is all made much harder to understand because the King James Bible incorrectly uses the word “week” instead of “sevens”.

What all of this means is that when Jesus died (but “not for himself”, as verse 26 points out – He died for us, to pay for our sins), 483 years of the 490-year period had taken place. Just as verse 26 prophesied, after Christ died and rose again the city of Jerusalem and her Temple were destroyed. However, Christ’s death stopped the clock. There is a gap between the “cutting off” of the Messiah and the last period of 7 years. The next verse talks about this:

Daniel 9:27: “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspeading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Here we find our missing period of 7 years. It begins when “he” (not the Messiah this time, but the Antichrist) confirms “a covenant with many for one week”. In other words, the Antichrist signs a seven-year treaty with “many” nations, of which Israel seems to be a part. This period of 7 years is the 7 years of the Tribulation. In the middle of this period (or 3.5 years into it) the Antichrist will stop the sacrifices that are being made in the third Temple, will walk into its Holy place, and will declare himself to be god. (This is discussed in 2 Thes. 2:3-4.) After that things will get really bad really fast – in fact, Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24 that when the people of Israel saw this took place they should run for their lives. The last half of the Tribulation will be far worse than the first.

At the time this paper was written only 69 of the 70 “weeks” have taken place. There is only one “week” left – the 7 years of the Tribulation. As we’ve just pointed out, what starts that last period is not the rapture of the Church but the signing of a treaty with the Antichrist. So far that has yet to occur, but I believe we are rapidly approaching that moment.

The reason there is a gap between the 69 and 70th “weeks” is because Israel rejected her Messiah. Their rejection of Jesus caused a number of things to happen, which Paul discusses extensively in Romans. Of special interest is Romans 11:

Romans 11:11: “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?”

We see that “through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles”. The Lord used their rebellion and hardness of heart to save the Gentiles. However, their blindness is temporary:

Romans 11:25: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Israel is blinded right now but that will only last until “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”. I have heard it said that the word “fulness” in this verse is a nautical term that refers to having the minimum number of people required to sail a ship. In other words, the ideas was that you had to have a certain number of sailors on board before you could safely leave the shore and head out to sea. This verse seems to imply that the Church will contain a specific number of people, and as soon as she is completed the Lord will take her home and Israel will begin her final “week”. The purpose of the Tribulation, then, is to bring Israel back to God. The Lord wants to put an end to Israel’s rebellion and bring her back to Him. To do this He set aside 490 years; the Tribulation is the last of those, and will begin after “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”.

This is another reason why I do not believe the Church will go through the Tribulation. The focus of those last 7 years is on Israel, not the Church. It is Israel that rejected her Messiah; the Church accepted Him. There is every reason for Israel to go through the Tribulation. There is no reason for the Church to do so – especially if she reaches her full number before the Tribulation begins. After all, the blinders are only removed from Israel after the Church is completed. If the Bride is complete then why leave her here? It’s worth noting that the Church did not appear on Earth until Pentecost, which is well after the first 69 “weeks” had taken place. (Yes, there will be people saved during the Tribulation – Israel, for example. But they will not be a part of the Bride anymore than Old Testament saints were part of the Bride. They were part of the Wife of Jehovah, but that is a topic for another time.)

Of course, the Tribulation will serve one other purpose. It can be found in many places throughout the book of Revelation:

Revelation 9:20: “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

During the Tribulation the Lord will pour out awful judgments upon the Earth in punishment for her sins. People everywhere will realize what is going on, but as the verse says they will refuse to repent. Instead of abandoning their sins they will try to hide from God:

Revelation 6:15: “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

Right now we live in an age of faith. We believe in Jesus even though we have never seen Him. The day will come, however, when all that will change. The Lord will pour out incredible, supernatural wrath upon entire planet, in such a way that everyone will realize the Lord is angry. When the wrath of the Lamb begins no one will question what is happening or why it is occurring. And yet, many will continue in their rebellion and refuse to believe the truth. Instead of repenting people will gnash their teeth and curse God.

In fact – and I do not know this for sure – it is possible that the only people that repent during the Tribulation is the nation of Israel and those who have never heard the Gospel. I say this because of what 2 Thessalonians says about the Antichrist. Let’s start at the beginning of chapter 2:

2 Thessalonians 2:1: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

There is a great deal in these verses but for our purposes it’s enough to recognize that Paul is talking about the Antichrist – the one who “exalteth himself above all that is called God” and “sitteth in the temple of God”. Three and a half years into the Tribulation the Antichrist will go into the Holy place of the Third Temple and declare himself to be god.

Let’s move on now:

2 Thessalonians 2:8: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they should be saved.”

Here we see a few words about what the Antichrist will do – he will be a powerful figure, and will work wonders that will deceive those who do not love the truth. Of particular interest are the next two verses:

2 Thessalonians 2:11: “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie;
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Do you see what these verses are saying? Verse 11 says that God would send “them” a strong delusion. Who is “them”? This goes back to verse 10 – those who hate the truth. As a result of this, those who hate the truth would “believe a lie” so that all of them would be damned. Not one would be saved. All those who “believed not” would be eternally lost. In other words, the reason the Antichrist will be effective is because God will give him the ability to deceive all those who already hated the truth, and he will be 100% successful in this.

I think what this verse is saying is that when the Rapture happens the Lord will find those who rejected the Gospel and “send them a strong delusion” so that they will be damned. In other words, if you reject Christ and are left behind after the Rapture, you will be forever lost. Since you hated the truth God will give you a lie instead, and that you will believe, to your damnation.

It’s a frightening thought. Who, then, will be saved during the Tribulation? I think the only people who can be saved are the nation of Israel and those that never heard the Gospel. There are tremendous numbers of people alive today that have never heard anything about Jesus Christ. In all honesty the Church has done a poor job of evangelizing the world.

I do not know if this is the correct interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12; I don’t insist upon it. But it’s worth thinking about. It would mean that if you have heard the Gospel then God wants you to be saved now. If you reject it and the Lord returns it will be too late to change your mind. God will reward your rejection of His Son with eternal damnation. After all, you knew but chose to not believe. You “believed not”, as it says in verse 12. On the day the Lord returns He simply makes that your final choice.

I mention this because it’s tempting to think “Hey, I’ll just wait until the Rapture happens. If I see that then I’ll know Christianity is true and I’ll ask Jesus to save me.” Today is the day of salvation. If you wait until Jesus comes back then you will have waited too long.

In Revelation 20 there is a passage that speaks of a thousand year reign of Christ. Those ten verses have been the subject of tremendous debate over the years. In general, this passage is interpreted in one of two ways. Those who are premillennial believe that the thousand-year reign is literal, and that one day Christ will return and set up a kingdom on Earth and reign as King for one thousand years. On the other hand, those who are amillennial (along with a few other end-times views) believe that the passage should be interpreted symbolically. They teach that His kingdom is a spiritual one, not a political one. To them the very idea of Christ reigning as King on Earth is bizarre and unbiblical.

What I’d like to do is take a look at the passage and then go over it. First, though, I’d like you to read this disputed passage for yourself, in its entirety. I think it’s a good idea to have a grasp of the entire section before delving into details. The passage can be found in Revelation 20:

Revelation 20:1: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 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.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
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.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
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.”

And now let’s begin!

 
The Binding of Satan

The first point of interest can be found in the first three verses of the chapter:

Revelation 20:1: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 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.”

Here we see an angel come down from Heaven. This angel (which is given no name, and does not appear to be an archangel) binds Satan and locks him in the bottomless pit. While locked in that pit he is unable to deceive the nations anymore. There he stays for a thousand years. After the thousand years he is set free, but we’ll get into that later.

These verses are often interpreted symbolically. Those who are amillennial teach that this refers to the death of Christ on the cross, and that is when Satan was bound. Moreover, the millennium is currently going on as we speak, and the ‘thousand years’ is just symbolic for a long span of time. I find this very difficult to believe. First of all, the passage says that an unnamed angel bound Satan, not the Lamb that was slain. If Jesus bound Satan then why doesn’t Revelation 20:1 say that? Why does it attribute it to someone else? More importantly, though, I find it impossible to believe that Satan is currently bound and unable to deceive or harm anyone. That is certainly not what the New Testament says! Look at what Peter wrote:

I Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

Did Peter say that the devil had been bound by Christ’s death and was unable to deceive anyone? Did he teach that we have no need to worry about Satan because his days of deceiving people were over? Far from it! Peter warned us to be sober and vigilant, for the devil was “seeking whom he may devour”. Peter was certainly not under the impression that the devil had been bound and rendered harmless. James echoed Peter’s concern:

James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Once again, you don’t see James saying “Don’t worry about the devil – he’s incapable of doing any harm”. Revelation 20:2 specifically says that Satan is bound, and yet I Peter 5:8 says that he “walketh about”. If Satan “walketh about” then he is not currently bound, which means Revelation 20:1-3 is still in the future.

There are also chronological reasons for believing that the binding of Satan is still in the future. In Revelation 4 the apostle John is told this:

Revelation 4:1: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.”

John was told that he was about to see things “which must be hereafter” – in other words, things that had not yet taken place in his day. Part of this vision included the binding of Satan. Therefore, the binding of Satan could not have happened at the cross because Revelation was written decades after Christ died and rose again, and yet at the time John was given the vision it had not yet occurred.

It is worth noting that a great many things take place between Revelation 4 and Revelation 20. These events appear to happen in chronological order. If you read through those chapters (and I will not quote them all here!) you will see that things follow a progression. For example, in Revelation 6 the first seal is open, and then the second seal is open, and so forth. Revelation 7 then starts with the phrase “and after these things”. Event follows event. There is nothing in the text to indicate that we are viewing things out of sequence. In fact, we can see a progression, as the two prophets preach and are then killed, only to rise again (Revelation 11); as the beast rises to power and prevails against the saints (Revelation 13); and as Babylon falls (Revelation 18). Revelation 20 takes place after all of these things. To say that the binding of Satan happened at the cross would mean that Revelation 4 through 19 happened before the crucifixion, which is silly. At that point John isn’t seeing things “which must be hereafter”; he’s seeing things that happened decades earlier. It just makes no sense.

But there is one thing in particular that I want to draw your attention to. In Revelation 19 we are told that the marriage of the Lamb has finally come:

Revelation 19:7: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

This is beyond the scope of this paper, but all throughout the New Testament the church is called the Bride of Christ and Jesus is called the Bridegroom. In Revelation 19 we learn that the long-awaited marriage finally takes place in Heaven. After the marriage the Lord Jesus Christ returns to Earth with the armies of Heaven:

Revelation 19:11: “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.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
…
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

This passage says that the Lord returns with the armies of Heaven to judge the Earth after the marriage of the Lamb takes place. (This means that the Church must be in Heaven before this, so that the Bride can attend her wedding, but that is a subject for another day.) Immediately after this is Revelation 20, in which Satan is bound in the aftermath of Christ’s victory over His enemies on Earth. This means that Satan is bound after the Bride of Christ becomes the Wife of Christ. It is worth nothing that the New Testament calls the Church the bride, not the wife. The Church can only be called the Bride if the marriage has not yet happened. These events, then, must still be in the future.

To look at it a different way – if Revelation 20:1-3 really is talking about the death of Christ on the cross then that means the marriage of the Lamb occurred before the Church even existed! How is that possible? How could the bride be dressed in the righteous acts of the saints before the saints even existed and performed any righteous acts? It doesn’t make any sense. If that was really the case then after the death of Christ the Church should have been called the Wife, but that never happened.

I believe this passage should be interpreted plainly. After the marriage of the Lamb the Lord Jesus Christ returns to Earth with a great army and defeats the armies of the beast (which you can read about in Revelation 19:11-21). After this Satan is bound for a thousand years, during which time he is unable to deceive the nations or do any harm. He is completely removed from the scene.

I have heard people say that all of this must be symbolic, for it is impossible to bind Satan with a chain, but I do not find that argument convincing. We know that God is a spirit, but the Bible never says that Satan is a spirit. If the Lord decides to bind Satan with “a great chain” and lock him in a bottomless pit for a thousand years, who can say it is impossible? I imagine the Lord knows a great deal more about binding Satan than we do – and I know of no verses in the Bible that event hint that Satan cannot be bound with a heavenly chain. I think this idea of “it cannot be done” comes more from our own unbelief than any doctrines that can be found in the Bible.

 
The Thousand Years

It is common to hear that the thousand-year reign is symbolic of the present Church Age (the time between Pentecost and the return of Christ). For reasons I just described I do not think that is accurate. As we’ve just seen, if this passage is symbolic of the Church Age then that means Satan is bound right now, the marriage of the Lamb has already happened, and the Lord has already returned with the armies of Heaven to defeat Satan. I find that impossible to believe. I think it makes far more sense to read the text as it is – after the Lord returns, Satan is bound and Christ establishes a kingdom that lasts a thousand years.

Some would argue that the thousand years should be interpreted symbolically in light of what Peter said:

2 Peter 3:8: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

If you will notice, however, this passage uses symbolic language. It clearly says that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years. Revelation 20 contains no such symbolic language! Look at how many times it says that this period will last a thousand years – not that it will seem like a thousand years, or will be “as” a thousand years, but will be one thousand years long:

Revelation 20:2: “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.”

In both verses it clearly says “a thousand years”. There is no hint in the passage that this time period is symbolic. But we’re just getting started:

Revelation 20:4: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
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.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,”

In six verses the phrase “thousand years” occurs six times. I don’t see how it could have been made any more plain that this is a literal period of time. To look at it another way – if this passage was meant to be taken symbolically then it would have been easy to say “as a thousand years” or “was like a thousand years”, but it doesn’t say that. However, if the thousand-year period was meant to be taken literally, then how could the writer possibly have made it any plainer?

I believe the thousand year period should be interpreted as a thousand year period. In other words, it is called a thousand-year period because it lasts for one thousand years. I see no reason in the text itself to interpret it any differently.

 
The Kingdom

After Satan is bound we see a kingdom established:

Revelation 20:4: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
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.”

Christ is clearly seen as reigning for a thousand years (“they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years”), but who is reigning with Him? Verse four says it is people who were martyred for the cause of Christ. Verse 5 states that these people were raised from the dead so that they could reign with Christ. How could this possibly be talking about the Church Age? Have the martyrs been resurrected so that they can reign with Christ? Once again, this is clearly talking about something that hasn’t happened yet. Here we see martyrs, raised from the dead, reigning with Christ on Earth. Just in case we missed it, the idea of reigning with Christ is first mentioned in verse 4 and then repeated in verse 6. The author wants to make it very clear that these people are reigning with Christ. This, of course, means that Christ is reigning over the Earth.

As an aside, lest we think that only martyrs are reigning in the millennial kingdom, we find these verses much earlier in Revelation:

Revelation 5:8: “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

I believe the 24 elders that are singing this song are symbolic of the Church. I think this because they identify themselves in verse 9 – the group was redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Their members come from every nation. What term does the Bible use to describe the leaders of the Church? “Elders”. It’s also worth noting that I Chronicles 24 divides the priests into 24 different divisions, which together represent the whole priesthood. 24 elders, then, could be symbolic of the whole church. (As an aside, some translations have “redeemed them” instead of “redeemed us” in verse 9. I believe the manuscript evidence supports “us” over “them”.)

To many people the idea that Christ will reign as a King on Earth is a shocking, unbiblical idea. The idea seems too strange to be true. Some would say that this passage must be symbolic because the very idea of Christ reigning on Earth is just too bizarre. And yet, this very idea can be found in other places throughout the Bible. For example, the Lord’s prayer hints at it:

Matthew 6:9: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

This could be interpreted spiritually, but it could also be talking about something else. After all, the Lord did make this promise:

Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

This echoes a passage from Psalms:

Psalm 37:10: “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

When is this going to happen? After all, this world is going to be destroyed:

2 Peter 3:12: “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”

Revelation 21:1: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

It is possible that the verses are talking about the new earth, but it’s worth noting that Psalms does not say “the meek will inherit a different earth”. Both Psalm 37 and Matthew 5 seem to be talking about this planet – and if so, at what point will the meek inherit it? They certainly haven’t inherited it yet! Revelation 20 is a good fit.

But those passages are just hints. There are other verses that are far more explicit. Look at what Christ told His disciples in Luke:

Luke 22:28: “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

The Lord promised His disciples that they would reign on Him – specifically, that they would sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. This goes right along with Revelation 5:10 and Revelation 20:6. The disciples were clearly promised “a kingdom”. If the kingdom was purely spiritual then this would have been a great place to tell that to the disciples, but there is no hint of that here. It is true that the Lord once told Pontius Pilate “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), but I believe there is a great deal of Scripture that teaches that one day His kingdom will reign over this world. All things will be put under the dominion of Christ.

Right before the Lord ascended into Heaven He was asked a question:

Acts 1:6: “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”

Notice that the Lord does not say “No, no, you misunderstand. My kingdom is not a physical one. You’ve got it all wrong.” Instead, He says this:

Acts 1:7: “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”

But there are far more explicit passages. Look at Isaiah 60. Here the Lord addresses Israel:

Isaiah 60:9: “Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee.
11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually: they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.”

Has this happened yet? Do all the nations of the world serve Israel, as it says in verse 12? Has God destroyed the nations that would not serve her? This is clearly something that is still in the future. But the passage gets even better:

Isaiah 60:14: “The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.”

None of this has happened yet. Israel is despised and hated; what the Lord speaks of in Isaiah 60:15 is still in the future. But the Lord is not done yet. He also promises great wealth and peace:

Isaiah 60:17: “For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.”

Is Israel today a place where violence is unheard-of? Hardly – but that will be the case one day. Lest we think this prophecy will happen before the Lord returns, He adds something that is astonishing:

Isaiah 60:19: “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.”

In the future the sun and the moon will not light the land of Israel, for the Lord will be the source of light. This means that the Lord Himself will be dwelling in the land of Israel.

This passage has very strong parallels to the new heaven and the new earth that are mentioned in Revelation 21, but I don’t think that is what this is talking about. I say that because verse 12 speaks of the Lord crushing all nations that don’t serve Israel, and verse 14 talks about forcing those who despised Israel to bow at her feet. In the new heaven and the new earth there is no more death, sorrow, or pain, and all sinners (and evil, and Satan) have been done away with forever. This means there would be no one left who despised Israel, and there would be none that would not serve the Lord and His Kingdom. So, if there are still nations in rebellion then this must be talking about something else. I think Isaiah 60 is a picture of what the millennial kingdom will be like.

But it is not the only picture. Isaiah 65 says this:

Isaiah 65:17: “For, behold, I create new heaven and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come to mind.
18 But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold I create Jerusalem rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die a hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.
24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.”

Why do I think this is talking about the millennial kingdom, and not the new heaven and the new earth spoken of in Revelation 21? Primarily because of verse 20, where it clearly says that people still die. The passage illustrates how long people will live by saying that someone who dies at the age of a hundred will be considered a child. This tells me that death has not yet been defeated. However, Revelation 21:4 clearly says that in the new heaven and the new earth that is created after the Great White Throne judgment, there is no more death (or sinners, for that matter). Therefore this passage must be talking about something else. If verse 20 had instead said that “There shall be no more death” then that would be one thing, but all it says is that people will live for a long time. There is a tremendous difference between living a long life and never dying.

If this is indeed not speaking of the new heaven and the new earth of Revelation 21 then when does all this happen? It certainly is not happening right now! I think this is another picture of the millennial kingdom. This passage may be talking about it as well:

Micah 4:1: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.
5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
6 In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
7 And I will make her that halteth a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation; and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even forever.”

This is another passage that clearly has not yet been fulfilled. It is hard to imagine this world ever becoming a place where nations no longer make war with each other, but that will one day be the case. This passage speaks of a time when “the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion” – in other words, a time when the Lord reigns as King in Israel! He will “rebuke strong nations afar off”, put an end to war, and bring lasting peace.

I do not think this is talking about the new heaven and the new earth of Revelation 21 because in verse 3 the Lord rebukes nations. After the Great White Throne judgment all evil, sin, and death will be done away with forever. There will be no need to rebuke anyone for anything that was evil was cast into the lake of fire. I believe this passage is speaking of the millennial kingdom.

There are other chapters that also speak of the millennial kingdom; in fact, the major and minor prophets had a great deal to say about it. But I think I have made my point. This is a major topic all throughout the Old Testament. It is not a crazy idea that suddenly pops up at the end of Revelation; the reign of Christ on Earth is something that was prophesied by the prophets and written about extensively.

 
The Last Battle

After the thousand years is over we are told that Satan “must be loosed a little season”:

Revelation 20:7: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, God and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
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 forever and ever.”

Here we see the final end of Satan. After the thousand years “are expired” Satan is set free. He then goes all over the world and deceives the nations, creating a rebellion against King Jesus. They form a massive army and surround Jerusalem. However, the army never stands a chance. Fire comes down out of Heaven and consumes them. Satan is then cast into the lake of fire, putting a final end to his wickedness.

It is amazing to me that Satan was able to gather such a large army. At this point King Jesus had ruled over the world for a thousand years. There had been a thousand years of peace, joy, and harmony. In this kingdom there are many immortals – the Church, the Old Testament Saints, and the Tribulation Saints have all been resurrected and inhabit the globe. There are also many mortals – those who survived the Tribulation. The Lord said in Luke 20:35 that the resurrected neither marry nor are given in marriage, so the repopulation of the world will be left to the Tribulation survivors. These people will live in a world populated by the saints from the Old and New Testament. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and many others will be wandering around. Jesus will be reigning as King from Zion! For all intents and purposes the mortals who are born during this period will be living by sight, not by faith. Today we live in a world full of fear and doubt, but the millennial kingdom will be nothing like that.

And yet, at the end of the thousand years a massive number of mortals rebel against King Jesus and attempt to destroy Jerusalem – a city inhabited by immortals and reigned over by God Himself! That is madness. Why would they do this?

I think it is a testament to the evil heart of man. Even living in a perfect world is not enough to turn sinful men into righteous men. The environment cannot remove evil from the heart of man – only Christ can do that. Apart from Him we can do nothing. Given the chance, a great many mortals fall away from God and rebel, and are destroyed in the last battle.

 
The Great White Throne Judgment

Technically this has nothing to do with the millennial kingdom, but it’s part of Revelation 20 and I wanted to finish out the story. It amazes me how many people take Revelation 20:11-15 literally but refuse to interpret the first 10 verses of that chapter the same way. There is no reason in the text itself to interpret the first 10 verses one way and the last 5 verses another way.

We are told that after this final battle, and after Satan is thrown forever into the lake of fire, there is a final judgment. The righteous have already been told they have nothing to fear. In fact, many of them have already been raised into immortality – but the unrighteous dead were left dead, awaiting the final judgment:

Revelation 20:5: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
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.”

So the Great White Throne judgment is a judgment for the lost. We are told that when this judgment begins the unrighteous dead are resurrected (so they go through this alive) and must stand before God:

Revelation 20:11: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell we cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

It’s worth nothing that those who stand before God are “the dead”. At this point the Old Testament saints, the New Testament saints, and the Tribulation saints have all been resurrected, so none of them would be in the category of “the dead”. (For the record, the New Testament saints were resurrected when the Lord returned at the beginning of the Tribulation, to catch His Bride away for her wedding; the Old Testament and Tribulation saints were resurrected after the Tribulation ended.) There is no reason to think that the Church will face this judgment – the passage is clear that this only impacts the dead. Remember, at this point all the unrighteous people are dead because they just tried to invade Jerusalem, and fire came down out of Heaven and consumed them. There are no living non-Christians. It is possible that the righteous who die during the millennial kingdom will face this judgment (for death has not yet been done away with); I do not know.

The criteria for being saved is simple: if your name was written in the Lamb’s book of life then you are freed. If it is not, then you are cast into the lake of fire, where you will be tormented day and night forever and ever. This is when death itself is done away with forever. That does not happen until this point. After this judgment nothing else will ever die. The reign of death is put to an end.

It should be noted that hell is not the final resting place of the unrighteous. Hell is emptied for this judgment and is actually cast into the lake of fire (verse 14). Those who rejected Christ as their Savior are not cast back into hell, but are also cast into the lake of fire (verse 15). In other words, no one will spend eternity in Hell, but sadly, many will spend eternity in the lake of fire.

The story does not end here! Revelation 21 talks about a new heaven and a new earth that is created after death is done away with forever and all suffering and pain has been put to a final end. But that is a topic for another time.

As a final wrap-up, this is how I believe events will play out:

• One day soon the Lord returns for His Church. All Christians who died between Pentecost (when the Church began) and the time of the Lord’s return are resurrected. All living Christians are translated so they never see death. The Lord then takes them with Him to Heaven.
• The Tribulation begins – a terrible seven-year period of suffering. The Lord pours out His judgment upon an unbelieving world. Most importantly, He uses these judgments to bring Israel back to Him. This, in fact, is one of the key purposes of the Tribulation – to turn Israel’s heart back to God.
• During the Tribulation the Marriage of the Lamb takes place in Heaven. The Bride of Christ becomes the Wife of Christ.
• At the end of the Tribulation the Lord returns with the armies of Heaven and puts an end to the beast and the false prophet. Satan is bound for a thousand years and the Lord establishes a kingdom on Earth, where He reigns from Zion. At this point the Tribulation saints and Old Testament saints are resurrected. The world is repopulated (more than half its population died during the Tribulation) by Tribulation survivors.
• At the end of the thousand years Satan is set free. He deceives the nations and they launch a final war against God. Fire comes out of heaven and consumes them, killing all those who rejected Christ as King. All unbelievers are killed and Satan is cast into the lake of fire, finishing his career.
• The Great White Throne judgment happens. Only the dead are there, which would be those killed in the last battle against God, and possibly those who died during the millennial kingdom. All those who rejected Jesus (whose names are not found in the Lamb’s book of life) are cast into the lake of fire. Death is done away with. After this judgment there is no more death, suffering, crying, or pain – for those who survived the judgment.
• After these things the current heaven and earth are destroyed and the Lord creates a new heaven and a new earth. This is a place that will never see death, pain, or suffering. This will be a perfect world and it will last forever. The Lord will reign from the New Jerusalem, making His dwelling place with men. This is where the righteous will spend eternity – on Earth, as subjects of King Jesus.

If all these things are true then we have a great deal to look forward to! The Second Coming is not the end of time but the start of a breathtaking new chapter. This will not always be a world of doubt and evil, for a King is coming that will put everything right. One day the meek will inherit the earth and delight themselves in an abundance of peace. I am very much looking forward to that day.

In the New Testament the Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ. I think sometimes we gloss over this fact, but it’s worth noting that the Bible describes the relationship between Christ and the Church in romantic terms. Jesus is described as being more than just our Savior; He is also our Husband-to-be. It’s an astounding thought! There is a degree of closeness, intimacy, and steadfastness there that I think is too easily overlooked. Christians are not in a master/slave relationship with Christ; they are in a romance.

The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Jesus loves us with an awesome passion, and He wants us to love Him back with everything we have. Nothing less could possibly work. He wants our heart. He wants to be our deepest love, our greatest joy, and the earnest desire of our heart. Jesus wants us to be in love with Him – deeply, passionately, and eternally in love. Some have called the relationship between Christ and the Church “The Great Romance”. I think there is a lot of truth in that.

David Baumann, a friend of mine, was once asked to summarize the Bible into three short sentences. This was his ten-word response: “Boy loves girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back.” It is so easy to get caught up in works and obedience (both of which are very important) and lose sight of the fact that we are loved. Tremendously. Passionately. Not because of what we’ve done, but because the Lord has chosen to delight in us. How many times do we end up trying to earn His love instead of just resting in it?

It is worth noting that Jesus referred to Himself as the Bridegroom:

Matthew 9:14: “Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.”

There’s an interesting thing about being called a groom: it means you’re destined for a wedding that is still in the future. Christ is destined for a wedding with His Church. It hasn’t happened yet, but one day soon it will. Then Christ will be the Husband and the Church will be the Wife.

Christ’s love for His Bride can clearly be seen on the cross, where He suffered and died in our place. In other words, His love for us was so great that He gave his life for us. Why? So that He might wash away our sins and make us pure and holy:

Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

He wanted so badly to purify His Bride and wash away her sins that He died for her. Paul expanded on this, saying that part of his ministry was driven by the desire to help get the Bride ready for her Husband:

2 Corinthians 11:2: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

This whole concept of a heavenly marriage can be difficult to understand. That might be why God gave us the institution of human marriage. Some would say that calling the Church the Bride is just a bit of symbolism, but I think it’s the other way around. I think the marriage union between a man and a woman (as blessed as it is) is symbolic of the future union that will exist between Christ and His Church. It offers us a starting place to begin to understand the kind of relationship God will one day have with us. In other words, human marriage is like a shadow. We can look at shadows to get an idea of what the real thing looks like, but the shadow alone can never provide a complete picture. Likewise, we can look at human marriage to get a glimpse at what our relationship with Christ will be like in the future. Human marriage is the symbol; the union between Christ and the Church is the real thing.

Paul called this a great mystery:

Ephesians 5:31: “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

John the Baptist also spoke of this. Interestingly, he did not consider himself to be a part of the Bride. He believed he was simply a friend of the bridegroom:

John 3:28: “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.”

All of this raises a key question: when does the marriage take place? I believe Revelation provides the answer. In chapter 19 we read this:

Revelation 19:6: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.”

When does this happen? Well, let’s back up a bit. In Revelation 4 we read that the apostle John was asked to come up to Heaven to view “things which must be hereafter”:

Revelation 4:1: “And after this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.”

After this a great many things take place. They appear to occur in chronological order. First, we’re told that the Lamb is worthy to open the “book”. This is sung by a great crowd of people that were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb:

Revelation 5:9: “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth.”

After this the seals are open. Revelation 6:1 has the opening of the first seal, followed by the second seal in 6:3, the third seal in 6:5, and so on. In Revelation 8:1 there is a moment of silence in heaven, followed by seven angels that blow seven trumpets. In Revelation 13 we are told of a beast, and his war against the saints:

Revelation 13:7: “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.”

More events happen, and then the famous Mark of the Beast appears:

Revelation 13:15: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

After this there are plagues, and then vials of wrath. Babylon is judged, and falls:

Revelation 18:1: “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

We’re almost there! In the next chapter we read this:

Revelation 19:1: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”

In verse 7 of this chapter we read of the “marriage of the Lamb”. So it happens toward the end of the Tribulation. It occurs in Heaven, after the seals are opened, after great judgment is poured out upon the Earth, and after Babylon falls. However, it happens before the Lord returns at the end of the Tribulation to put an end to the antichrist, bind Satan, and raise the dead. This is a very long quotation, but look at all the things that happen after the marriage of the Lamb:

Revelation 19:11: “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.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
…
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
…
20:1: And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 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.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
…
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 forever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
21:1: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

The Marriage of the Lamb, then, happens in Heaven toward the end of the Great Tribulation. While the Earth is suffering under the reign of the beast and the false prophet, there is great rejoicing going on in Heaven because “the marriage of the Lamb is come”. After the marriage has been made the Lord returns with the armies of Heaven to crush the beast and the false prophet, bind Satan, and reign on Earth with His saints for a thousand years. After this Satan is loosed for a season, after which his final attempt to defeat God is utterly crushed. He is then cast into the lake of fire, along with the beast and the false prophet. We then have the Great White Throne judgment, at which point the unrighteous are cast forever into the Lake of Fire. Death is defeated once and for all, the old Heaven and Earth pass away, and a new one is created. We are then given this awesome promise:

Revelation 21:3: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

One thing I would like to point out – if the Marriage of the Lamb takes place in Heaven during the end of the Tribulation, then the Church must be in Heaven when that happens. After all, the marriage cannot take place without the Bride. The Lord only returns to crush the beast and the false prophet after the marriage occurs.

I would like to leave you with a final question: are you looking forward to this coming Marriage? If you are a Christian during the Church age then the day will come when your relationship with Christ will change dramatically. Right now we can now only get faint glimpses of what that will be like, but I do know it will be beyond any hope or expectation that we can possibly have. We have something tremendous to look forward to! Let’s not forget that promise in the stress of our everyday lives. After all, this world might offer many joys, but none of them can compare to the day when the Bride will become the Wife.

One thing I have noticed is that it is increasingly common for Christians to judge the Bible. What I mean by this is that those who call themselves followers of Christ are reading the Bible and criticizing its teachings. If they agree with what a verse in the Bible says then they decide that verse must be true; however, if they disagree then they say that verse must be in error.

Today it is common for Christians to teach that while the Bible contains truth it is not entirely perfect. Many claim there is a great deal of error and superstition mixed up in it, and it’s up to each person to decide what is right and what is wrong. People don’t see a problem with rejecting whole passages (or even entire books) simply by saying they disagree with them. To them, the Bible cannot be trusted and must be judged. And who does this judging? Why, people do. They decide on their own authority (or using what modern culture believes) what is right and what is wrong.

This can be seen in so many areas. Does the Bible say that homosexuality is wrong? Then it is in error, or it was just reflecting ancient thought and those teachings should be dismissed. Does the Bible say that adultery is wrong, or does it make any other statements that conflict with what culture teaches? Then it simply doesn’t know what it’s talking about.

I wish I were making this up but I’m not. Even Christian colleges no longer believe the Bible is inerrant. They, too, teach students that each person must make up their own mind about what parts of the Bible can be believed. The Bible is no longer viewed as the infallible Word of God. Today it is simply a collection of truths that is only true as far as it agrees with what people already think and believe.

The real problem does not seem to be a concern that the Bible has been corrupted over the years. In fact, there is a tremendous amount of evidence that the Bible has been copied faithfully throughout the centuries. Scholars have found manuscript fragments of the New Testament that date to within a few decades of when the books were actually written, and they have copies of the Old Testament that date back several centuries before Christ was born in Bethlehem. When these manuscripts are compared to today’s Bible it is found that the text has not been corrupted. In fact, virtually no errors have crept in over the past several thousand years. The Bible today accurately reflects the Bible as it was originally written.

I believe the real issue is one of authority. Who gets to decide what is right and wrong? Who gets to define truth and error? Is it God, through His Word, or is that determination left up to individuals? Does God want us to read the Bible and believe it, or should we just do whatever is right in our own eyes?

It amazes me that modern Christianity has rejected the authority of the Bible and set themselves up as the ultimate authority. If a person decides on his own what is right and what is wrong, and what is truth and what is error, then he has set himself up as God. He is the giver of truth and the master of his life. He bows the knee to no one but himself. Why? Because he is living by his rules. He who makes the rules is king. Look at it this way: if we live by God’s rules then He is our king. If we live by our rules then we are king – and it is silly to edit the Bible to our liking and then say we’re living by God’s rules.

After all, at that point anything goes. The Bible becomes nothing more than a prop that people use to justify whatever they’re doing. People might as well write their own Bibles, for if you reject the teachings of the Word of God then that’s what you’re doing anyway. If you throw out the epistles of Paul then how is that not writing your own Bible? And if you write your own Bible you aren’t believing in God anymore, but in yourself. It is your word, not God’s word, that counts. How can you claim to be a follower of Christ when you refuse to believe His Word?

Christ certainly didn’t take a “pick-and-choose” approach to the Word of God. In fact, Jesus once defended the resurrection of the dead based on the tense of a single word in the Old Testament. When the Sadducees attacked the resurrection Christ responded as follows:

Matthew 22:31: “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

What Christ is saying here is that because God said I am the God of Abraham, instead of I was the God of Abraham, then that means Abraham must still be alive, and therefore there is a resurrection. Christ clearly believed what the Old Testament taught about the Bible:

2 Samuel 22:31: “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”

Psalms 12:6: “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.”

Psalms 18:30: “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”

Proverbs 30:5: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

In case we missed it, this idea is re-emphasized in the New Testament:

2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

This says that Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. In other words, we should take it seriously and believe what it says – instead of seeking to edit it so it teaches something more to our liking. But what about believing whatever you want to believe, and coming up with your own ideas? The Bible does have something to say about that, too:

Proverbs 3:7: “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.”

Proverbs 16:2: “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.”

Proverbs 26:12: “Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him.”

 
 
Jesus and the Bible

What did Jesus believe about the Scriptures? Well, let’s take a quick look. After all, Christians are to be followers of Christ, and it would be great if they had the same view of Scripture that He did.

It should be noted that Christ quoted the Old Testament many, many times. For the purposes of this paper I will just focus on a few controversial areas – places where Christ upheld the Bible while modern scholars tend to disregard it.

 
 
Christ believed Abel was a real person

Today it is common for Christian scholars to say the first 11 chapters of Genesis are simply myth. There was no Adam and Eve, no Cain and Abel, and no Noah and the ark. However, Christ strongly disagreed. He believed that Abel was a real person that died a martyr’s death:

Luke 11:50-51: “That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, which perished between the alter and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.”

 
 
Christ believed in Noah and the flood

Likewise, Jesus did not dismiss the story of Noah and the flood as a myth. He believed it was a real event and used it to draw a comparison between those days and the days just before His Second Coming:

Luke 17:26-7: “And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”

 
 
Christ believed in the story of Lot

Nor did Christ think the story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha was just a fairy tale. He believed it was real history:

Luke 17:28-9: “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, the builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.”

 
 
Christ believed in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Likewise, Christ believed that there really was an Abraham, and Isaac, and a Jacob. They were not mythological figures, but real people:

Matthew 8:11: “And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”

 
 
Christ believed in the story of Jonah

It is also common today for scholars to dismiss the story of Jonah as a myth that has no basis in history. However, Jesus believed that the story was true, and went so far as to say that just like Jonah spent three days in the great fish, He would spend three days “in the heart of the earth”:

Matthew 12:39-41: “But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Ninevah shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here.”

 
 
Christ believed that the Queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon

Likewise, Jesus believed that the Queen of Sheba (here called the “queen of the south”) really did exist, and actually did come and visit Solomon:

Matthew 12:42: “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

 
 
Christ believed in Daniel and his prophecies

It is also common for scholars to say that the book of Daniel was not written by Daniel and that his prophecies were written by someone else, long after the events actually happened. This is because modern scholars do not believe in prophecy, and therefore any prophecies must have been penned after the fact. However, Jesus clearly taught not only that Daniel was a prophet, but that the words in the book of Daniel were actually penned by him, centuries before the events took place:

Matthew 24:15-6: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:”

 
 
Christ believed that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible

Some modern scholars also teach that Moses did not write the first five books of the Bible. However, Jesus strongly disagreed. This can be seen in a great many scriptures but I will just quote one.

Mark 12:26: “And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?”

Other verses to check out include Matthew 19:7, 8; Mark 7:10, 12:26; Luke 5:14; 16:29, 31; 24:27, 44; John 1:17; 5:45, 46; 7:19. Jesus clearly believed that Moses was the author of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Let’s also not forget what Christ had to say about the rest of the Old Testament:

Luke 24:44: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.”

 
 
Christ believed that Isaiah wrote the entire book of Isaiah…

…unlike some modern scholars, who teach that it had multiple authors. This is because Isaiah makes many prophetic statements, and moderns scholars do not believe in prophecy. Therefore, they state that any prophetic statements had to be written by someone else, long after they happened. However, Christ attributes the entire book of Isaiah to that prophet.

Mark 7:6: “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

John 12:37-41: “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.”

 
 
Christ condemned people for not knowing the Scriptures

Here we are getting to the heart of the matter. It is very, very common for Christians today to know very little about the Bible. However, Jesus was not hesitant to criticize people for not knowing the Scriptures:

Matthew 22:29: “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”

 
 
Christ obeyed the Scriptures and was subject to them

Most importantly of all, Jesus not only knew the Scriptures, but He obeyed them. He believed that He – the Son of God, the Creator – was subject to them and had to do what they commanded:

Matthew 26:24: “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born.”

Matthew 26:53-4: “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”

This last point is key. You never see Christ attacking the Bible, or saying it is wrong, or claiming that is it riddled with errors and people must decide for themselves what is true. In every case Jesus upheld the Scriptures – believing in Noah, Jonah, the prophets, and so forth. But most notably of all, Christ obeyed the Scriptures. He did not judge them, or put Himself in authority over them to change what they said to something that was more to His liking. When they said go, he went. What they commanded, He did.

If we are to call ourselves followers of Christ then shouldn’t we do as Christ did? If He knew the Scriptures and obeyed them then shouldn’t we do the same? But I fear that we are living in the time spoken of by the apostle Paul:

2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

To all those who call themselves followers of Christ, I urge you to follow Christ, and not yourselves. Ask yourself this: who makes the rules that govern your life? Whom do you answer to? Is Jesus your Lord, or are you your own master? In your life, who decides what is right and what is wrong?

This is a very important question. In order to be saved Jesus must be your Savior and Lord. There is no salvation that says “Jesus, I refuse to repent of my sins and make you Lord, but I don’t want to go to Hell. So I’m going to keep on serving myself and living in sin, and what I want You to do is take me to Heaven when I die. But just stay out of my life. I don’t want You pushing me around or telling me what to do.” In order to saved you must give your life to Jesus. You must repent of your sins. This doesn’t mean that you’ll never sin again, but it does mean that Jesus is your master. There is no salvation that rejects the Lordship of Christ.

Recently the Shroud of Turin has been in the news again. For years I have heard people wonder whether or not the Shroud is actually the one that was used to wrap the body of Jesus. Fortunately, the Bible provides us with an answer.

For those who have never heard of the Shroud, here are a few quotes describing it. This is from the official Shroud of Turin website:

The Shroud of Turin is a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man. A man that millions believe to be Jesus of Nazareth. Is it really the cloth that wrapped his crucified body, or is it simply a medieval forgery, a hoax perpetrated by some clever artist? Modern science has completed hundreds of thousands of hours of detailed study and intense research on the Shroud. It is, in fact, the single most studied artifact in human history, and we know more about it today than we ever have before. And yet, the controversy still rages.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the Shroud:

The Shroud of Turin (or Turin Shroud) is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The origins of the shroud and its image are the subject of intense debate among scientists, theologians, historians and researchers.

Some contend that the shroud is the cloth placed on the body of Jesus Christ at the time of his burial, and that the face image is the Holy Face of Jesus. Others contend that the artifact postdates the Crucifixion of Jesus by more than a millennium. Both sides of the argument use science and historical documents to make their case.

The image on the shroud is much clearer in black-and-white negative than in its natural sepia color. The striking negative image was first observed on the evening of May 28, 1898, on the reverse photographic plate of amateur photographer Secondo Pia, who was allowed to photograph it while it was being exhibited in the Turin Cathedral. The Catholic Church has neither formally endorsed nor rejected the shroud, but in 1958 Pope Pius XII approved of the image in association with the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus.

Most probably, the Shroud of Turin is the single, most studied artifact in human history. In 1978 a detailed examination was carried out by a team of American scientists called STURP. It found no reliable evidences of forgery. STURP called the question of how the image was formed “a mystery”. In 1988 a radiocarbon dating test was performed on small samples of the shroud, concluding that they date from the Middle Ages, between 1260 CE and 1390 CE. Controversy has arisen over the reliability of the test.

As Wikipedia says, it is possible to get an image off of the Shroud – an image of a bearded man. Is this face of Christ?

According to the Bible, the answer is no. The Shroud cannot be the one Christ was buried in because it does not match the shroud described in the Bible. For example, look at this passage from John:

John 20:6: “Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.”

If you do a search for the Shroud of Turin (or even just visit the Wikipedia page) you’ll see that the Shroud is a single piece of cloth that covered an entire body from head to toe. However, the shroud described in the Bible is not a single piece of cloth. Instead it is described as having two pieces: there were the linen clothes that covered the body and a napkin that covered the head. These two pieces were actually found in different places when the disciples discovered that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead and His tomb was now empty. Therefore, since the Shroud of Turin is a single piece of cloth, and the shroud used to bury Christ was a two-piece set, the Shroud of Turin cannot be the one described in the Bible.

Some may argue that the shroud John speaks of in verse 6 was a head-to-toe shroud, and the napkin was inside the shroud covering the head. If that was the case then the face of Christ would have been marked on the napkin, and not the shroud, since His face never touched the shroud. (After all, John 20:7 clearly says that the napkin had been “about his head”.) But if you look at the image of the Shroud of Turin you can see a face on it, suggesting it was directly in contact with the face of the person buried within it.

So, I suggest that all those scholars who have spent decades trying to get to the bottom of this simply read John 20:6-7. In my opinion that should put an end to this controversy once and for all.

Recently I’ve been surprised at the sheer number of Christians in the world that are hoping the Lord will not return. I would never have predicted this, but there are people who call themselves believers who are dreading the Second Coming. I could perhaps understand this if they were worried about the fate of lost friends or relatives, but from what I have seen many of them want the Lord to stay away simply because they like their life and don’t want God to mess it up. “I love you, Lord,” they say, “but please don’t come back. My life is going really well, and if You return and bring an end to this world it will mess everything up. So please just stay away as long as possible.”

I know that many unbelievers think this, and that is to be expected. After all, for them the return of Christ is a dreadful, frightening thing. But it astonishes me that Christians believe this. The very people who should be longing for the return of their Lord are actively hoping He won’t come back at all. How is this loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength? What kind of whole-hearted devotion tells their loved one that they hope they stay away and never come back? Could you imagine telling your wife “I love you, honey, but my life is so much better when you’re out of town. Do you think you could arrange to stay out of town indefinitely?” How loved do you think she would feel?

It’s worth noting that this attitude is not one we find in the Bible. In fact, the Lord actually promises a special blessing that is only for those who long for His appearing:

2 Timothy 4:8: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

In case there was any doubt, Paul makes it plain in other places that the “appearing” he is talking about is nothing less than the return of Jesus Christ:

1 Timothy 6:13: “I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:”

2 Timothy 4:1: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;”

It is quite clear that in 2 Timothy 4:8 Paul is talking about a special blessing that will only be given to those that long for the return of Christ. This blessing – a crown of righteousness – will not be given to those who do not want Christ to come back, or who do not care one way or the other. There is a condition attached to this blessing. I am sure there are some who would interpret this crown to be something symbolic and therefore of no real value, but I believe this crown of righteousness is something real and should be taken seriously. (Paul certainly seemed to place value in it.) It’s worth noting that the same Greek word for crown is also found in this verse, where the crowns are used in Heaven to worship God:

Revelation 4:10: “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

At the very least, it is plain that Christians should be longing for the return of their Savior. This is demonstrated all throughout the New Testament. Take this passage from Titus:

Titus 2:11: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”

Paul told Titus that we were to live soberly, looking for our blessed hope. And what is this blessed hope? The “glorious appearing” of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christians should be longing for this, not dreading it! I have to ask: if you love the Lord with all of your heart and are longing to be with Him, then how is it possible to not long for His return? Isn’t a disinterest or dislike for the return of Jesus nothing less than a disinterest or dislike for Jesus Himself? Satan doesn’t want Christ to come back either. Should we really be siding with him?

Peter said this:

1 Peter 1:6: “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”

The “glorious appearing” is what puts a final end to our trials. It is a source of great joy, for it is when our faith and trials are turned into praise and glory.

In all of Scripture there is no record of any believer wanting the Lord to stay away. There aren’t even any instances of apostles praying that Jesus wouldn’t come back so that more lost people could be saved. The constant refrain of the people of God is a longing for the one they love to return. In fact, at the end of the book of Revelation the apostle John said this, in response to the vision he had just seen:

Revelation 22:20: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

This should be the prayer that is on our lips, and the longing that is in our hearts. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

One day the Lord will return and will take His Church home with Him. For unbelievers it will be a time of unimaginable suffering and judgment, but for His saints it will be a time of tremendous joy. The righteous dead will be raised to everlasting life and will forever be with Jesus. It will truly be a glorious time.

Every time someone suggests creating a national ID card or implanting computer chips into people someone invariably mentions the Mark of the Beast. I wanted to take just a moment to explain why these fears were unfounded. While there may be perfectly good reasons to oppose putting computer chips into people, saying that it is the Mark of the Beast is not one of them.

The idea behind implanting computer chips into people is that each chip would carry enough information to uniquely identify each person. That way instead of having to carry around a wallet or driver’s license you could just scan the embedded chip instead. The key here is that in order for it to work each chip would have to have a unique id number. This is very important, so I’m going to repeat it: the only way to tell people apart is to give each one a different number. This is exactly how credit cards work: if everyone had the same number there’d be no way to tell who purchased what. It doesn’t matter if the ID card is a piece of plastic you carry in your wallet or a computer chip that is embedded into your hand; in order for it to work each chip must contain different information.

However, the Mark of the Beast is the same for everyone. Take a look at these verses:

Revelation 13:15: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark to their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that hath the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

As far as I know this is the only passage in the entire Bible that describes the Mark of the Beast. Verse 17 says that the mark can be one of three things: a mark (which is not described), a name, or a number. If it is a name then it’s the name of the beast; if it is a number then it’s 666. But one thing it clearly says is that it is the same name or the same number or the same mark for every single last person. When a person takes the mark he does not get his own, unique number. The purpose of the number is not to identify each person (which are what the computer chips and id cards are all about) but to show that the people who took the mark have firmly rejected God and sided once and for all with Satan. Therefore, id cards and computer chips cannot be the Mark of the Beast because they have different numbers while the Mark of the Beast is the same for everyone. Do you see the difference? Even if society gets to a point where cash is no longer used and you have to have a debit card or something like it to buy and sell things, that is still not the Mark of the Beast because those cards will be different for each person.
 
 

Do Not Take the Mark

I am not trying to say here that the Mark of the Beast is unimportant or should be taken lightly. My goal is to help people understand what it is and what it is not. The mark is actually an extremely serious thing. The Bible clearly states that anyone who takes this mark cannot be saved. This can be found in a couple places:

Revelation 14:9: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb;
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

In summary, those who take the mark will be tormented day and night forever and ever with fire and brimstone. It lists no exceptions for those who took the mark and later regretted it. Those who take that mark are rejecting God in a way that cannot be undone. It is an unforgivable sin. Once you take it you are guaranteed an unbearable eternity of torment in the Lake of Fire. God is very clear about this.

Just in case that passage wasn’t clear enough Revelation also says this:

Revelation 20:4: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

Regardless of how you interpret the millennium, it is clear that this verse is talking about people who never received the mark. Once you take it you are forever lost. In fact, it will be so bad that Revelation 14 goes on to say this:

Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”

Verse 12 is referring to what was just mentioned in the previous few verses (9 through 11, which I quoted a little earlier). When the Mark of the Beast appears people will be given a stark choice. If you take the mark then you will be forever damned. There is no turning back. The only way to be saved is to refuse the mark, refuse to worship the beast, and refuse to worship his image. This publicly tells the world that you have chosen the side of Jesus. However, doing this will be a crime punishable by death. No one can buy or sell without the mark, and anyone who doesn’t have it will be executed. That is why verse 13 says that those who are dead in the Lord are blessed; they no longer have to worry about resisting the unbelievable temptation to take the mark. Their work is done.

For those of you who are worried that you might inadvertently take the mark without realizing it, let me say that as of the time when this paper is written the mark is still years away. I don’t have the time right now to delve into all of this, but the mark doesn’t appear until the second half of the seven-year Tribulation. We know this because the Antichrist doesn’t declare himself to be god until 3.5 years into the Tribulation:

Daniel 9:27: “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

For reasons explained elsewhere, the one week refers to a period of 7 years, which is also known as the Tribulation. In the middle of this period he will put an end to the sacrifices that are going on in the Third Temple (which has not even been built yet). When this happens he will declare himself to be greater than God:

Daniel 11:36: “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”

That is when Revelation 13:15 happens. Since he has declared himself to be god he commands that everyone take the mark of the beast and executes all those who do not. Therefore, until the Jews build the Third Temple, sign the seven-year covenant with the Antichrist, and then the Antichrist breaks that covenant, defiles the temple, and declares himself to be greater than God, there can be no Mark of the Beast.

However, Christians today don’t have to worry about any of this because they will not be on Earth during the Tribulation. No member of the Church will ever be tempted with taking the Mark. It will not appear until we are long gone. Those who face that temptation will be the lost ones that the Lord leaves behind when He comes to take His Church home.

In summary, the next time someone suggests implanting computer chips into people please don’t freak out and compare it to the Mark of the Beast. The chips (or id card) would have to be different for each person and that is the opposite of the mark, which is the same for everyone.

Have you ever heard it said that we shouldn’t speak against sin in someone else’s life because Jesus commanded us to not judge each other? I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard that said more times than I can remember. This paper was written to compare this idea to the Scriptures and see if it has any merit.

In Matthew 7 Jesus said this in his famous Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine own eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”

On the face of it that looks very conclusive. Jesus does indeed say “judge not” and goes on to state in verse 2 that we will be judged in the same way that we have judged others. The passage even condemns the hypocrisy of those who judge others when they themselves are committing the same sinful acts.

But Matthew 7 has more than just four verses in it. Christ goes on to say this in the very next verse:

Matthew 7:5: “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

What does Christ say here? Does He end by saying “And so, whatever you do, never, ever tell someone else about their sin”? No. In verse five He says to clean up your own life so that you can then see clearly to help other people. The focus of this passage is not “don’t judge people no matter what” but “don’t judge people for sins that you yourself are committing“. The Lord wants us to help each other overcome the sin in our lives, but He doesn’t want us to be hypocritical about it. That, in fact, is the whole point of these five verses.

That alone should put to rest the idea that the Lord wants us to be silent about the sin we see, but let’s look at other passages as well. James had this to say:

James 5:19: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”

Notice first that this passage is aimed at brethren who err from the truth. James is talking about believers here. And how do you ‘convert the sinner from the error of his way’ after a brother ‘errs from the truth’? Is this accomplished by refusing to say anything to the erring brother for fear of being seen as judgmental, or does this happen when one brother takes the other aside and corrects him in love? For that matter, is saying nothing and allowing the brother to continue in sin really the most loving thing to do? This passage actually places high value in those who turn others away from sin – and you can’t do that by ignoring the problem.

But how did the apostles deal with this problem when they encountered sin in the lives of others? In Acts we find this exchange between Peter and two members of the church:

Acts 5:1: “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

So here we have two members of the early church telling a lie, saying that they were donating all of the proceeds from a real-estate sale when in fact they were just donating a portion of it. How does Peter handle this situation? Does he refuse to judge them? Not exactly:

Acts 5:3: “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.”

Not only did Peter harshly rebuke Ananias (and later in the passage, Sapphira), but Ananias actually died. That doesn’t sound like Peter refused to pass judgment on them and just went on about his business. Peter saw sin and he confronted it – and the results weren’t pretty.

Even more striking is what Paul had to say to the Corinthian church. First he told them that he had learned there was sin in their midst:

1 Corinthians 5:1: “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.”

Apparently some members of the Corinthian church were guilty of incest – a sin so awful that even the pagan unbelievers around them abhorred it. Does Paul refuse to pass judgment on this? Does he say that we should just live and let live, and the most important thing is to mind our own business? See for yourself:

1 Corinthians 5:2: “And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed.
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

This may come as a surprise to many modern Christians, but Paul actually condemns the Corinthian church for not removing this person from their congregation. (The person does seem to be a Christian, for verse 5 mentions the spirit being saved.) In other words Paul doesn’t stop at just condemning the sin; he actually tells the Corinthians that since this person has refused to repent they should not allow him be a part of their church. In fact, the sin is so awful that in verse 5 Paul actually turns the Christian over to Satan so Satan can kill him. (Notice the bit about “the destruction of the flesh” – that sounds an awful lot like death to me.) That is about as far from “don’t be judgmental” as one can possibly get.

But Paul is not done. He has a lot more to say about this:

1 Corinthians 5:6: “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.”

Paul is comparing the sin in the church to yeast and points out that if you add a little yeast to a loaf of bread it causes the entire loaf to rise. Likewise, having a little sin in the church leads to problems and temptations that affect the entire church body. Think of it this way: if Person A is leading a sinful life and it seems to be fine for them, then what kind of example does that set for others? How long will it take for other, weaker Christians to decide to give into sin as well and follow their example? Once the church leadership establishes that a certain sin is acceptable, how long will it be before the congregation decides that it must really be ok after all?

That is why Paul was so adamant that this person be evicted from the church – he didn’t want his appalling behavior to poison the rest of the body. Sin cannot be tolerated among Christians; it has to be dealt with, or else it will have fatal consequences.

But Paul is still not done. He goes on to say that we shouldn’t even associate with Christians who are living sin-filled lives:

1 Corinthians 5:9: “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
10 Yet not altogether the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat.”

Paul doesn’t even want believers to have dinner with Christians who were doing the things he listed in verse 11. Please note that he is not talking about Christians who fall into sin and then repent and turn from it. His focus is on those who have been confronted with their sin but refuse to turn from it. Such people we should avoid. This doesn’t mean that we should ignore them entirely but that we should not have fellowship with them; they’re not to be our companions. Why? Because, as Paul pointed out in verse 6, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Your goodness isn’t going to rub off on them, but their sinfulness will rub off on you. If there is one rotten apple in a barrel of good apples the good apples aren’t going to convert the rotten one; instead, the rotten one will ruin them all.

There are a whole lot of other examples I could list, but let’s end this by going back to Jesus. In Matthew 18 Jesus said this:

Matthew 18:15: “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”

Does Jesus say “If your brother sins against you, don’t judge him”? No. In fact, Jesus commands us to go and tell him his fault. And why are we do to this? So that we can turn the brother around and win him back.

What happens if this doesn’t work? Christ goes on:

Matthew 18:16: “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.”

So Jesus said that if talking to the brother privately does not work, we should bring along a few more people so that they can correct him as well. If that fails then we should bring it before the church. However, if he doesn’t listen to the church then we should consider the brother to be a pagan. Why? Because he was repeatedly corrected of his sin but he still refused to repent of it. In other words, he decided he would rather knowingly live in sin than live in holiness. This is a truly horrible thing for a believer to do, and we aren’t to hang around such people – for if we do, their sin might rub off on us.

Of course, these days churches would never, ever dream of doing any of this. Churches aren’t going to kick members out because they have deliberately chosen a sinful lifestyle and refused to turn from it. Likewise Christians aren’t going to refuse to associate with a fellow believer who is living a sinful life and refuses to be sorry about it or change his ways. As a body we have decided to not judge one another. As a result, our churches are full of sin and the body has been devastated. Holiness is hard to find these days, but that’s to be expected. After all, Paul did warn us that a little sin goes a long way.

Christ warned us that this would happen. In Matthew 24 the disciples asked Him what the signs would be that His return was just around the corner. This was one of the things He said:

Matthew 24:12: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

What Jesus is saying here is that in the last days the amount of sin will be so staggering that many people will lose their love – both for God and for one another. It’s easy to see why. After all, if one Christian is refusing the path of holiness and has completely given their life over to sin then why shouldn’t other people do the same? After all, the church isn’t doing anything about it! So the sin of one person spreads and soon whole congregations have simply stopped caring. For many people today a passion for Jesus has been exchanged for a passion for the world. We no longer care about holiness; we’d much rather have all the pleasures that sin has to offer.

So, in reality, the path of “not judging” other people actually leads to rampant sin and apostasy. Far from being “the right thing to do”, it actually destroys people’s lives and kills their love for the Lord. It can even destroy entire churches, as the whole congregation becomes corrupted.

But, sadly, that is the path that many churches have chosen. Jesus recognizes this and He is not happy about it. In Revelation He had this to say about it:

Revelation 3:15: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wast cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of thy mouth.”

In other words, the carnal nature of these churches actually makes Jesus vomit. That’s putting it pretty strongly, but Jesus isn’t done yet. He went on to say this:

Revelation 3:19: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Verse 20 is often used a verse of comfort but it’s actually very frightening. Notice here that Christ is addressing a lukewarm church that couldn’t care less about their Savior. In that church, where does He claim to be? Outside, knocking on the door. Christ is actually outside, asking to be let in! He will forgive them, if they will turn and repent, but right now they don’t have Christ at all – and a church without Christ is not a church.

Recently I have been working on rewriting the new Starman book Master of Shadows. Since it will take some time to complete the revision I’ve decided to go ahead and post an excerpt of the new story on this blog. You can download the preview here:

Master of Shadows – first six chapters

Those of you who read the original story will see that a great deal has changed. The new story is quite different – and, hopefully, far better.

Do you know with certainty that if you died right now you would wake up in Heaven? Would you like to know for sure?

No one goes to Heaven by default. This is because everyone has sinned against God. The Bible says this:

Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

This verse says that everyone has sinned. At some point in their life everyone has disobeyed God. Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever lied? Have you ever taken God’s name in vain, or hated someone, or lusted after someone? If so then you have sinned. It doesn’t matter how many good deeds you have done – in God’s eyes you have sinned, and your sin must be paid for.

The Bible goes on to say that the penalty for even one sin is death:

Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Since you have sinned you are no longer right with God. The punishment for your sin is death – eternal death in a place the Bible calls the Lake of Fire. There is no way for you to pay for your sin on your own. No amount of good deeds will make things right.

But God stepped in and did what you could never have done. The Bible says that God loved you so much that Jesus Christ came to Earth and died in your place to pay for your sins:

Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Jesus, the Son of God, came to Earth and lived a perfect life. He then suffered and died a cruel death on the cross – not to pay for his sins (for he never sinned once in his life), but to pay for yours. He loved you so much that he took on himself the punishment that you deserved.

Jesus then rose from the dead and offers salvation freely to anyone who trusts Him as their Lord and Savior. Jesus is the only way to be saved; there is no other path to God. This is because his death on the cross is the only payment God will accept for our sins. If you reject this payment and try to pay your debt another way (such as through your own good deeds) then God will reject you.

To become saved, all you have to do is:

(a) ask God to forgive your sins (for God will not save anyone who refuses to admit they have sinned, or who refuses to make Jesus the Lord and master of their life)

(b) believe that Jesus died in your place and that His death completely paid for all of your sins (which means you have to stop believing that you are good enough to get to Heaven on our own, or that your good deeds will somehow outweigh your bad deeds and that that will be enough)

(c) believe that Jesus rose from the dead

(d) ask God to save you

These passages sums it all up:

Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Mark 1:15: “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

If you come to Jesus and ask him to save you then he will. At that moment your debt of sin will be canceled and from God’s point of view it will be as if you had never sinned. The Bible says this:

Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

When God forgives your sins they are forgiven once and for all. When you die you will not face the wrath of God but instead will receive His mercy. God will invite you to live forever with Him in unending peace and joy:

Revelation 21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

When you give your life to Jesus (which means that our life is now about honoring God instead of honoring ourselves) and ask Him to be your Savior and Lord a whole new life will open up. Your life will become centered around Jesus as you learn how to love him and honor him in all that you do. The Holy Spirit will enter your life and begin turning you into a new person. As God begins changing your heart you will lose your appetite for sin and become hungry for spiritual things.

Once you become saved I highly recommend finding a good local church and attending it regularly. They will help you grow spiritually. But the key to remember is that Christianity is not a do-it-yourself religion. God will always be with you, and will never stop loving you or watching over you. He promised to make you perfect in every way (just like Jesus) and He will do exactly that.

One thing I want to be clear about is that I do not believe the Church will have to go through the Tribulation. Instead I think that the Lord will return to Earth and take His Church home at some point before the Tribulation begins. This is not the same thing as the Second Coming, which happens after the Tribulation. The Rapture is a separate event – it’s when we are all caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. I believe this happens before Israel signs the seven-year covenant with the Antichrist.

There are a number of reasons why I believe this, but let’s start at the beginning. After the Last Supper took place and Judas left to betray Jesus, the Lord told His disciples that He was about to leave them. He told them not to be afraid, however, because He had a reason for this:

John 14:1: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 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.
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.”

In other words, Jesus was going away so He could prepare a place for His disciples. Once He had finished this work He would come back to Earth and get us so that we could be with Him forever. In ancient Jewish courtships, after the bride and groom were engaged the groom would leave his bride-to-be and go to prepare a home for the two of them to live in. After he completed it he would return for his bride and they would be married. Jesus is doing the same thing for us, who make up the Church, His beloved Bride.

In verse 6 Jesus tells us the way:

John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

The only way to make peace with God, obtain forgiveness for our sins, and get to Heaven is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. As Jesus said, “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. The world today does not want to hear this, but it is the truth. There is no other way to be saved. Jesus is the only way.

In verse 28 Jesus tells us where He is going:

John 14:28: “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”

In these verses Jesus simply says that He is going to His father, and one day He would come back and get the Church. Nothing more is said at this point. This should be very straightforward: Jesus left the Earth to prepare a home for us and one day He will come back and get us. There is nothing complicated about this.

The next passage of interest is found in I Thessalonians:

I Thessalonians 4:13: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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:
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.”

This passage goes into more detail about the time when Jesus will return for His Church. Without repeating everything the passage says, those of the Church who died before the Lord returned will be raised from the dead – their bodies will be brought back to life. (That is what “resurrection” means; in order to have a resurrection you first must have something that died, and it then has to come back to life. When we die the only part of us that stops living is our bodies. That is what gets raised from the dead when Jesus returns.) After the dead saints have been resurrected the living saints will then be translated – in an instant they will become immortals, and all that is sinful or unclean will be banished forever. Then everyone will meet Christ in the air, after which we will “ever be with the Lord”.

So here we see a picture of what it will be like when Jesus returns for the Church – there will be a resurrection of the dead, a putting on of immortality, and a grand meeting in the air. After this has happened we will “ever be with the Lord”. This passage adds a lot of detail to Christ’s return but it doesn’t give us any information about its timing. Where does this happen in relation to the other end-times events? Based on this passage alone we cannot say, but there are other verses that provide some context for the Rapture.

Incidentally, the word “rapture” comes from verse 17. The phrase “caught up” in Latin is actually “rapture” (or something very close to it). For centuries the only version of the Bible that was available was the Latin version and that is where this word came from. When people speak of the Rapture they are merely speaking of the time when the Church will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air. (This is why it is unfair to say that the word “rapture” never appears in the Bible; it actually does appear in Latin Bibles because it’s a Latin word.) There really should be no debate among Christians about whether or not there will be a Rapture; the Bible is quite clear that one day we will be “caught up” (or “raptured”) to meet our Lord in the air. As far as I know this is not a point of doctrine that believers debate. The only question is one of timing – when does this happen? Is this the same thing as the great Second Coming that is spoken of in Matthew 24 (which happens after the Tribulation) or is it separate from that? That is where the debate lies.

The next passage can be found in I Corinthians:

I Corinthians 15:50: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

This passage also speaks of the details regarding the resurrection. Those who have believed in Jesus but died before His return will be raised from the dead (meaning, as we said earlier, that their dead bodies will be raised back to life), and then those who are still alive will be translated – the mortal will put on immortality and we will be changed. (Some more details about this can be found in the preceding verses, I Corinthians 15:35-49).

I Corinthians 15 makes six points about this resurrection body:

1. It is incorruptible (v42)
2. It is glorified (v43)
3. It is a body of resurrection power (v43)
4. It is a spiritual body (v44-6)
5. It is a heavenly body (v47-9)
6. It is an immortal body (v53)

These teachings are quite clear and are not tied to any particular interpretation of end-times. The verses above simply teach that the Lord will return and get His church and they will forever be with Him. This still does not answer our question: just when does this occur? Does this happen before, during, or after the Tribulation?

First, it should be noted that the Church began on the day of Pentecost and will be completed at the Rapture. Before Pentecost there were the Old Testament saints, which are not a part of the Church. After the Rapture the Lord will have gathered the Church to Himself and it will be gone. It’s also interesting to note that the Church appears in Revelation 1-3, which takes place before the Tribulation, and in Revelation 19-22, which takes place in Heaven at the end of the Tribulation, but there is no mention of the Church being on Earth in Revelation 6-18, which deals with the Tribulation itself. There are saints mentioned in chapters 6-18 but they are Tribulation saints, not Church saints (just as the saints in the Old Testament were not Church saints). The Church is only found before and after the Tribulation. Nowhere does the Bible speak of the Church going through the Tribulation.

This, however, is not the strongest evidence that the Rapture takes place before the Tribulation begins. In Luke 21 Jesus says this:

Luke 21:34: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

This passage is one of the strongest evidences for placing the Rapture before the Tribulation. The Lord is talking about the Tribulation at this point and says that it will be a snare to all those who dwell on the whole Earth. In other words, everyone who is on Earth will be forced to suffer through it. However, the Lord tells us to watch and pray so that we can escape this time of suffering that will afflict everyone on the entire planet. If it afflicts everyone on the planet with no exceptions, but we should pray so that we can escape it, then we must be praying that we won’t be on the planet when it happens! Logically there’s just no other way. This implies that the Rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation and remove the Church from Earth, so that they can escape it.

Some people get upset at Christians who teach a pre-Tribulation Rapture and accuse them of being easy-living Christians that just don’t want to suffer or get their hands dirty for Christ. It’s worth noting that Jesus commands His disciples to pray that we won’t go through this period. He did not want His children to endure it. I think that says it all right there. Praying to escape the Tribulation isn’t evidence of a weak will; it’s obedience to the command of Christ.

There are others who say that “watch and pray” means that only the “worthy” will escape the Tribulation and all backslid Christians will have to endure it. That is not what Jesus is talking about. The Lord is not going to leave part of His Bride behind for any reason; when the Church is complete all of it will be brought home. What Jesus is talking about here are people who think they are saved but are not. Jesus spent a lot of time warning people to examine themselves to see if they were in the faith. All of those who are saved will be in the Rapture – but not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” is among the saved. That is the point.

I Thessalonians expands upon this idea of a pre-Tribulation Rapture:

I Thessalonians 5:1: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”

First of all, it’s important to note that in the beginning of this passage Paul is talking about the “day of the Lord”, which is not Judgment Day. The two are entirely different. The “day of the Lord” is a phrase used throughout Scripture that refers to the Tribulation. (Many Old Testament passages talk about the Tribulation, but that is outside the scope of this discussion.) Paul is warning the Thessalonian church that the Tribulation will catch the lost world by surprise and they will not escape. However, Paul goes on to say that the Church is not in darkness and will not be surprised. While the world will be caught up in the Tribulation the Church will not, for it was not appointed to wrath. In this context the word “wrath” is not referring to Judgment Day (since that is not what’s being discussed!); it is talking about the wrath that God pours out upon the Earth during the Tribulation.

In verse 9 Paul mentions the “hope of salvation”. This is not salvation from our sins – after all, that is not a hope (our sins have already been forgiven; that’s not something we’re still waiting on Christ to accomplish), and second, that’s not what’s being discussed in this passage. The “hope of salvation” is salvation from the wrath that’s mentioned in the first verses of this chapter – the wrath of the Tribulation. This passage provides clear, direct evidence that God has not appointed His Church to suffer through the wrath of the Tribulation; instead He will deliver them from it – and since the Tribulation will afflict everyone on the whole Earth, He must be planning to take His Church out of the Earth before the Tribulation begins. Since the Marriage of the Lamb takes place in Heaven before the Tribulation ends, that is even more evidence that the Church must be in Heaven during the Tribulation. Therefore, since the Rapture is the event that takes the Church to Heaven, the Rapture must happen before the Tribulation.

Another mention of this same idea can be found in Revelation 3:10:

Revelation 3:10: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

In this passage, the hour of trial that will try everyone that dwells upon the Earth is the Tribulation. Notice that this passage does not say that the Church will be kept safe during this hour of trial, but that it will be kept from the hour of trial altogether. Given that the verse goes out of its way to explain that the Tribulation impacts all the world, to afflict everyone that lives on the Earth, this is more evidence that the Church will not be on the Earth when the Tribulation happens.

Some have said “Oh, that just means the Church will be protected from persecution during that period”. If you read the rest of Revelation you can see for yourself how ludicrous that statement is – God gives the beast the power to make war with the saints and overcome them, and the beast kills millions of believers. There is no possible way that “being kept safe” means the same thing as “the antichrist will hunt all of you down and behead you”. The Church is kept safe because it’s not on Earth anymore and the antichrist can’t hunt it down. However, all those who came to Christ after the Rapture are not a part of the Church and are not kept safe; they are hunted down and brutally murdered.

How close are we to the Rapture? Well, the Bible teaches that the Rapture can happen at any moment. For example:

Romans 13:11: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

The salvation mentioned in this verse cannot be referring to salvation from sins, for that was finished when Christ died in the cross. Salvation from sins is not something that we are still looking forward to in the future. This salvation is salvation from the Tribulation and being saved from the hour of wrath that will come upon the whole Earth. That salvation is “nearer than when we believed”. The imagery in these two verses depicts something that is drawing closer and is near at hand. You can almost hear Paul saying “It won’t be long now”. Nowhere does he say that it’s a long way off or that other things must happen first. It can literally happen at any moment.

James 5 also speaks of this:

James 5:7: “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the Judge standeth before the door.”

Like Paul, James says that the coming of the Lord is drawing near and urges us to be patient until He comes. James goes so far as to say that “the Judge standeth before the door”. If He is standing at the door then He is very near indeed! Revelation also makes this same point:

Revelation 22:20: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen, Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Even Jesus says that He is coming quickly! This can only be true if the Rapture happens before the Tribulation. If the Rapture happens in the middle of the Tribulation then it is always at least 3.5 years away. If it happens at the end of the Tribulation then it’s at least 7 years away. In neither case is the Rapture imminent. It is only imminent if it occurs before the Tribulation.

The Bible does not say exactly when the Rapture will happen. What it does say is that the coming of the Lord is drawing near and we should be sober and watch for it. Amen!

Whenever someone comes up with a new theory about when the Rapture might happen, it is not uncommon for someone to say “Well, the Bible says no one knows when the Lord will return, so we shouldn’t be speculating about it.” I’d like to take a moment to address that criticism.

The verse that is being quoted can be found in two places in the Bible. Let’s take a look at them.

Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

The passage states that no one knows the day or hour of the Lord’s return. However, it is critical to understand that the Lord is not talking about the Rapture here, but is instead talking about His return at the end of the Great Tribulation.

There are a couple things that make this clear. First, this entire passage is a response to three questions the disciples asked Christ. These questions can be found earlier in the chapter:

Matthew 24:1: “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

As can be seen, the disciples asked three questions: when would the Temple be destroyed, what sign would happen just before the Lord returned, and what would be the sign that the world was about to end? The disciples asked these questions because they believed the destruction of their Temple would be a part of the end of the world. As it turned out, they were wrong.

Christ, in turn, started talking about the Great Tribulation. We know He was not talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (at which point the Temple was actually destroyed) because of what He told the disciples to be expecting. In fact, many of the signs He mentioned still have not happened. For example:

1. The Abomination of Desolation

Matthew 24:14: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
15 Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:”

This is a reference to Daniel 9:26, which says:

Daniel 9:27: “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Here Daniel is talking about the Great Tribulation. The Antichrist will sign a seven-year peace treaty with Israel (the phrase “one week” is symbolic for seven years), and in the middle of those seven years he will break the treaty and stop the sacrifices in the Temple. In fact, he will go even further and install himself in the temple, declaring that he is God:

2 Thessalonians 2:3: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

None of those things happened in 70 AD. Israel did not sign a seven-year peace treaty with the Antichrist. The Temple was destroyed, but the Antichrist did not install himself in the temple and declare to the world that he was Almighty God. That has yet to happen.

2. 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.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

This states that just before Christ returns there will be a “great tribulation”. This time of trouble will be the worst thing the world has ever seen. Nothing worse ever happened before it and nothing worse will ever happened after it. In fact, it is so bad that if it was not shortened no flesh would be saved – in other words, if God did not cut it short every living thing on Earth would die.

Needless to say, that has not happened yet either. When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD it was a time of great trouble, and something like a million Jews were slaughtered, but it was certainly not the worst thing that ever happened in all of history. It was not even the worst event to ever happen to the Jews – during the Holocaust 6 million Jews were killed, or nearly 2/3rds of the world’s population. So this has not happened yet either.

3. The Sign of the Son of Man

Matthew 24:30: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, …”

This has also not happened yet. No one even knows what the “sign of the Son of man” is. It certainly has not appeared in the sky and caused all of the nations to mourn.

4. The Return of Christ

Matthew 24:30: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

This, clearly, has not happened yet either. Jesus has not returned to Earth from Heaven with power and great glory. The Second Coming is still in the future.

5. The Gathering of the Elect

Matthew 24:21: “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the one end of heaven to the other.”

This has not happened either. The elect are still on Earth. The trumpet has not sounded.

The point of all this is that when the disciples asked Christ what the sign of His coming would be, He basically told them this:

* There would be wars and rumors of wars (v6)
* There would be famines and earthquakes (v7)
* Christians would be persecuted (v9)
* There would be the abomination of desolation (v15)
* There would be the worst time of trouble the world has ever seen and will ever see (v21)
* The sign of the Son of man would appear in heaven, causing all the nations to mourn (v30)
* And then Christ would return.

Christ, then, spent the whole chapter talking about His return after the end of the Great Tribulation. When Christ said in verse 36 that “of that day and hour knoweth no man”, He was talking about His coming after the Tribulation. All we know is that after the Tribulation ends the sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky, and at some point after that Christ will return. The exact timing of His return is unknown.

The key point here is that Christ is not talking about the Rapture of the Church. The Church is never mentioned in the entire chapter. We already know, based on other passages, that the Church will not be on Earth during the Great Tribulation – they will be Raptured out first. (I have discussed this in another paper, so I will not repeat that here.) Jesus is telling people who get left behind what to expect during the Great Tribulation and how they will know that the Lord is about to return.

Therefore, the idea that this verse teaches that no one knows when the Rapture will happen, and therefore we shouldn’t even speculate about it, is wrong because this verse is not talking about the Rapture. This can also be seen in the other place where this is discussed – Mark 13:32-37. Mark 13 is almost a copy of Matthew 24 (you can read it for yourself and see what I mean). Once again, the focus of the “no man knows” statement is Christ’s return at the end of the Great Tribulation. These passages don’t even mention the Rapture.

In fact, when the Bible does talk about the Rapture it goes so far as to say that the event should not catch us off-guard. For example, look at this passage:

I Thessalonians 4:13: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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:
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 we shall ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
5:1: But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”

(As a side-note, there are people who claim that the word ‘rapture’ is not found anywhere in the Bible. However, the word ‘rapture’ comes from the Latin word ‘rapturo’. If you take the phrase “caught up” from verse 17 and translate it into Latin, do you know what word you get? That’s right, ‘rapturo’. So saying ‘rapture’ does not appear in the Bible is wrong for two reasons: (a) it’s a Latin word, so of course it won’t be found in an English Bible, and (b) if you translate these verses into Latin it actually does appear.)

Here it is clear that Paul is talking about the Rapture. Verses 16 and 17 clearly talk about the Lord returning, the resurrection of the dead, the transformation of the living, and our going to always be with the Lord. With that context in mind, Paul says in verse 3 that the world will be completely caught off-guard by this event. However, in verse 4 he says that that is not the case for the Church. Look at that verse again:

I Thessalonians 5:4: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

Paul actually comes right out and says that the Church should be expecting the Rapture. It should not catch us by surprise. In fact, in verse 6 Paul commands the church to be sober and watch for it.

So, then, the idea that “no one knows when Christ will return, so therefore we shouldn’t speculate about the Rapture” is completely wrong for several reasons. First, Christ was talking about His return at the end of the Tribulation, not the Rapture. Second, Paul commanded the Church to be watching for the Rapture so that it does not catch us off-guard. The world would be caught off-guard, but the Church should be different.

Sadly, I think that many in the Church are not looking for the Rapture at all. If they even think about it they see it as something that will happen a very long time from now, if it ever happens at all. There is no expectation that it will happen soon, nor do many even know what signs to be looking for. When it happens I believe it will take many completely by surprise – even though it shouldn’t.

From 2008 to 2009 I taught Sunday School at a small Baptist church. During the time I was teaching the church did not offer curriculum so I wrote all of my own lessons.

This book is a collection of those lessons, put together by request. You can download it free of charge here:

Collected Sunday School Lessons (free download)

There are 28 lessons in this 257-page book. They are:

Cain
Catholicism
Crowns
Dinosaurs in History
Eschatology
Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Feeding the Five Thousand
Festivals
Fishers of Men
The Sons of Adam
Heaven
In The Beginning
Justice
The King James Bible
The Fall
The Levitical System
Messianic Prophecies
The Miraculous Catch
The Nephilim
Rules of Interpretation
Sabbath Keeping
Sacrifices
Science and Evolution
The Flood – Evidence
The Flood – Specifics
The Tower of Babel
Tithing
Rewards
Jesus Walks on the Water

For now this collection is only available in digital format, but I hope to make printed copies available at some point.

Edit: Printed copies of this book are now available! You can the book for sale here: Collected Sunday School Lessons (printed copy).

I just wanted to let everyone know that work has begun on creating a second edition of Master of Shadows! David Baumann (of Starman fame) is reading the book and providing a lot of very insightful commentary. Based on his comments I am revising the story.

I am going to keep the first edition available on this website, but hopefully before too long there will be a second, revised edition! I’ll be sure to post news of it here once it hits the presses.

Edit: After giving it some thought, I’ve taken down the old links to the first edition. The new version will be a complete rewrite, and I hated the thought of continuing to distribute the old, flawed version.

I am making progress in rewriting the book; I will try to post regular updates (and possibly excerpts as well). Thanks!