The first evidence that God has a plan for the course of cosmic history, that is, referring to humans, planet earth and ultimately, the entire cosmos, is found in the Bible in the Book of Genesis.
The first evidence of the timing and sequence of events for the destruction and recreation of the earth is found in the Bible in the Book of Daniel. There are other prophecies and clues, but, this is the clearest.
The first and clearest record of details of the coming Tribulation or End of Days is found in the Bible in the book of Matthew and the Book of The Revelation, although important and relevant clues are also found in the Books of Matthew, Acts and Hebrews.
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?
Beware: Denominationalism has clouded the issues of
Creation, sin and the fall of man,
The judgment of wickedness and the destruction of humankind and the cleansing of the earth,
the prophesied Messiah and His arrival and redemptive work,
the Last Days, the tribulation and
the Great Tribulation,
the End of the Age and destruction of the planet and the cosmos,
the creation of a new heavens and a new earth,
Considering that there are over there are over 200 different known denominations in America and over 33,000 denominations worldwide, you will find widely differing opinions, arguments and even some hostilities between denominations on the matters of the Bible especially concerning the End Times.
So, to clear some of the denominational clutter, let’s take the Bible at face value where applicable.
I want us to focus on God’s “eschatological clock” WHERE WE ARE NOW and then HOW WE GOT HERE and how we can be certain of what to expect and what to do:
1. WHERE WE ARE NOW.
We have entered the breaking of the 5th Seal of the Tribulation as described by Jesus.
Here is a detailed description of the seven identifiers the 5th Seal in the book of Matthew and our what our response must be:
Matthew24:9, 10, 11, 12, 13
“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and
they will kill you, and
you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
10 “At that time many will fall away and
will betray one another and hate one another.
11 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.
12 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
Here is the corresponding description of the 5th Seal, from the book of The Revelation:
Revelation6:9 “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal,
I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and
because of the testimony which they had maintained;
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and
they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
NOTE: The description in Matthew is “AN EARTHLY PERSPECTIVE” and the description in The Revelation is “A HEAVENLY or SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE”.
This tells us that…
*Tribulation and death is not our end. When our earthly life ends our heavenly life begins. We live on. God’s plan is eternal and so are we who belong to Him.
*We are part of God’s plan. We are active players and our enduring participation assures our place with Him in the Kingdom of God.
2. HOW WE GOT HERE
I will only go back to the time of Jesus at this point. (Later in a follow-up article, I will go back to the Book of Genesis.)
The period of the breaking or opening of the first FIVE Tribulation Seals, which began between AD 1 and AD 69 is also referred to THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS or the LAST DAYS.
This period became evident in or around A.D. 1
(1) Jesus calls this period the LAST DAYS or the END OF THE AGE in Matthew 24:3-8
(2) The Apostle Peter calls this period the LAST DAYS in Acts 2:16-17
(3) The Apostle Paul calls this period THESE LAST DAYS in Hebrews 1:1-2
(4) The Apostle Matthew records the advent of John the Baptist and through this reminds us THESE ARE THE LAST DAYS and illustrates this in Matthew 3:1-12
(5) The Apostle Peter again reminds us THESE ARE THE LAST DAYS in 2 Peter
The Bible tells about the END OF DAYS and the Tribulation. It is important to know that the Tribulation period actually is called by three prominent, although variant names:
(1) The Beginning of Sorrows, Birth Pangs, The End of The Age or the Last Days
(2) The Tribulation also known as The End of Days
(3) The GREAT Tribulation also know as the Wrath of God or the Wrath of the Lamb.
When people read the Bible about eschatology, that is the matters about the End Times and the Tribulation period (the books of Matthew chapter 24 and the book of The Revelation), most tend to read it as one would read a ‘story’ or a novel. Most assume it is written in chronological order, a sequence of events, one event beginning as the previous event is ending. THIS IS NOT CORRECT.
When a Tribulation Seal is broken, an event or a series of events occur and will last for certain periods of time. Most events will continue until the “Consummation of the Age”.
In other words, once a Tribulation event begins, it may continue for days, weeks, months, years or decades. Then, as a second or third event occurs, events may overlap and occur simultaneously.
We see that the first 5 Seals have been opened are overlapping and are in progress. This began around AD 1. Here is the progression of the breaking of Tribulation Seals until the current time: Revelation Ch. 6 – as corresponding to – Matthew Chapter 24
the 1st Tribulation Seal – Global conquest and political intrigue Broken AD 1 and continues
the 2nd Tribulation Seal – Wars and Rumors of War Broken AD 1 and continues
the 3rd Tribulation Seal – Famine Broken AD 1 and continues
the 4th Tribulation Seal – Death Broken AD 1 and continues
the 5th Tribulation Seal – Martyrs, persecution,Anti-Christ, falling away AD 1 being fulfilled in the 20th century
(Click here for a concise and short commentary on Seal 1 through Seal 5)
The Opening of the 6th Tribulation Seal will be The BEGINNING OF the 7 years of the GREAT TRIBULATION know as GOD’S WRATH: Daniel’s Seventieth Week
We are now standing at the precipice of a cosmic cataclysm which will shake and reshape the planet, disrupt the stars in heaven and cause many to die from cosmic, meteorological, geological disturbances and from fright. This event is know as Daniel’s Seventieth Week which begins with the breaking (or opening) of the 6th Seal of the Tribulation.
THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING THE EXACT DAY NOR THE HOUR this will occur, but we know the season and we are told that we must be ready according to scriptures or perish!
3. WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE?
Our response is to BE READY, BE FOUND DOING WHAT JESUS COMMANDED and ENDURE TO THE END.
*Our response will reveal our position in Christ, or in other words, whether you and I are truly saved.
*We are part of God’s plan. We are active players and our enduring participation assures our place with Him in the Kingdom of God.
*Tribulation and death is not our end. When our earthly life ends our heavenly life begins. We live on. God’s plan is eternal and so are we who belong to Him.
*If we are obedient, do what He has said and endure to the end, we will rule with Him. (2 Timothy 2:12)
1. Die to self. Surrender your life and purpose to Christ Jesus.
2. Follow Him in complete obedience.
3. Go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that He commanded you.
4. Do what He says and you will overcome.
5. Endure to the end and you will be saved.
Dearly Beloved: If you attend church regularly, pray, do good deeds, tithe your income, live a good life, are a good person, there is no assurance you are saved or will spend eternity in heaven. What you do reveals what you believe.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young