The End Times: An Overview

As the Coming of the Lord draws near we must keep our eyes fixed on the world political scene in anticipation of the rise of the Antichrist for he will initiate Daniel's Seventieth Week, the last of Daniels seventy weeks as prophecied in Daniel 9:24-27. This last week or seven years will begin when the Antichrist 'shall confirm the covenant, with many for one week'. However in order to confirm this covenant with Israel, he will have to become a powerful world leader with the clout to be able to offer Israel the peace that the covenant promises. Therefore, there must be a rise to power by the Antichrist, when he, the 'little horn' will gather 'three of the first horns' (Daniel 7:8), referring to the three nation confederacy he will form. Ezekiel 38:2,3 gives the names of these three first horns: 'Son of man, set thy face against Gog [Antichrist], the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophecy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog [Antichrist] the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal'. These nations are believed to be from the eastern Europe i.e. Russian area of the world. This is the next event on God's Prophetic Program.

Concurrent with the confirming of the covenant at the beginning of Daniel's Seventieth Week is the opening of the First Seal as described in Revelation chapter six. The Lord Jesus Christ is 'the Lamb' in Revelation 6:1 who sequentially opens all Seven Seals. However the results or effects of the first Five Seals being opened are not authored by Him, but are instead the work of the Satanically energized Antichrist. The results of these seals being opened as described in Revelation 6 will be played out during Daniel's Seventieth Week bringing about these events: "many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many; 'wars and rumors of wars', 'nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows". (Matthew 24:5-7) Here, the Lord describes the events of the first 3-1/2 years of Daniel's Seventieth Week, which coincides with the results of the opening of the first Four Seals of Revelation 6:1-8.

The opening of the Fifth Seal is next: 'the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held' (Revelation 6:9) describes the fierce persecution of God's people beginning at the mid-point of Daniels Seventieth Week after the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15) takes place. This event, the Abomination of Desolation, initiates the Great Tribulation, "For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be, And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake; those days will be shortened." (Matthew 24:21,22)

The shortening of those days for the sake of God's children, the elect, brings us to the next event. The Christians who will not take the mark of the beast, those who faithfully continue to stand for the Lord Jesus Christ, will be 'saved from wrath' (Romans 5:9). Yes, "God hath not appointed us to wrath; but to obtain salvation{deliverance] by our Lord Jesus Christ."(I Thessalonians 5:9) The Rapture will deliver all born-again believers from the 'wrath of God' which is to come upon the whole earth! The wrath of God, known as the Day of the Lord, is about to come upon the unbelieving world! This climactic unparalleled judgment by God is preceded by many prophecied events in Scripture. The Awareness of the Believer (I Thessalonians 5:1-10); The Falling Away (II Thessalonians 2:1-3); The Man of Sin Revealed (II Thessalonians 2:1-10); The Sending of Elijah (Malachi 4:5,6); The Heavenly Wonders (Joel 2:30,31); The Last Trump (Joel 2:1; Zephanaiah 1:14-18) are some of the significant events that must occur before the Day of the Lord begins.

The Heavenly Wonders are the most mentioned event that will occur before the Day of the Lord. In Revelation 6:12,13 "the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth" showing these awesome occurrences happening as the result of the opening of the Sixth Seal. However these Heavenly Wonders are also mentioned in Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24,25; Luke 21:25 directly linking them with the Coming of the Lord!! Isaiah 13:6-13; Joel 3:14-16 and Acts 2:19,20 also tie them directly to the Day of the Lord, happening just before the Day of the Lord begins! This darkening of the heavens will magify the Glory of the Lord when He comes 'in great power and glory' (Matthew 24:30) to Rapture His waiting Bride the Church!

"And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet [The Last Trump (I Corinthians 15:551,52); The Trump of God (I Thessalonians 4:16)] and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:31) "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:27,28). It is now time for the Lord to come and receive His own unto Himself! Yes, when He cuts short the Great Tribulation to preserve His elect, then, the same day the Day of the Lord begins, He will rescue His children from the fierce persecution of the Antichrist and begin His devastating judgment on rebellious unrepentant people on earth! Just as He rescued Noah and his family the same day the flood began, and likewise Lot and his family the same day the fire and brimstone fell from heaven, the same day He begins His Day of the Lord judgment He will deliver His children by Rapture!

This judgment, the wrath of God which is the Day of the Lord is described in the Seven Trumpet Judgments and the Seven Vial/Bowl Judgments of Revelation 8,9,10,14,15,16,17 & 18 culminating with the Lord coming on 'a white horse' with 'the armies which were in heaven' which are the angels of God. "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations; and He should rule them with a rod of iron; and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God." (Revelation 19:11-15) The verses that follow describe the mighty victory of the Lord Jesus Christ as He defeats the armies of the Antichrist gathered at Armageddon. This brings to a close the Program of God for the End Times. The Golden Age of the Millennium, the literal 1,000 year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ upon a purified, cleansed, and new earth will then begin, after which Satan will be loosed for a short time only to once and for all be defeated and thrown into the lake of fire for eternity!

Rev. Larry Wolfe - Evangelist
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