Greetings in the
most excellent
Name that is
above every
other name
(Philippians
2:9)!
I was thinking
about the year
3000. Sometime
after 3000, a
being of
unspeakable evil
will come forth
from a
centuries-old
imprisonment,
being let loose
to wreak havoc
among the
peoples of
Earth. This
terrible entity
will not act
violently
himself to slay,
but will more
craftily incite
the sons and
daughters of men
to wanton evil,
rebellion and
warfare. A
fearsome
multitude will
follow him,
screaming for
blood!
Some plot for
the latest
horror movie or
book? Some
demented dream
of slasher movie
fans? No!
Rather, solid
biblical truth.
“When the
thousand years
are completed,
Satan will be
released from
his prison, and
will come out to
deceive the
nations which
are in the four
corners of the
earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather
them together
for the war; the
number of them
is like the sand
of the
seashore.”
(Revelation
20:7-8)
Students of
Bible prophecy
understand that
the future (most
likely the near
future, if
current world
events are any
indicator of our
times) holds a
7-year
Tribulation
period and a
1,000-year
Millennial
period. While
Satan runs
rampant during
the 7-year
period, he is
seized and
locked up for
the duration of
the 1,000-year
period.
“Then I saw an
angel coming
down from
heaven, holding
the key of the
abyss and a
great chain in
his hand. And he
laid hold of the
dragon, the
serpent of old,
who is the devil
and Satan, and
bound him for a
thousand years;
and he threw him
into the abyss,
and shut it and
sealed it over
him, so that he
would not
deceive the
nations any
longer, until
the thousand
years were
completed; after
these things he
must be released
for a short
time.”
(Revelation
20:1-3)
As already
noted, he gets
to let go after
being locked up
for 1,000 years,
and gathers from
among humanity
an immense army.
What happens
next? Let’s look
at Scripture.
“And they came
up on the broad
plain of the
earth and
surrounded the
camp of the
saints and the
beloved city,
and fire came
down from heaven
and devoured
them. And the
devil who
deceived them
was thrown into
the lake of fire
and brimstone,
where the beast
and the false
prophet are
also; and they
will be
tormented day
and night
forever and
ever.”
(Revelation
20:9-10)
This passage
reveals much.
First, it
reveals that
this is the
devil’s last
stand. After his
release, he
gathers a vast
army of humanity
to make war
against God’s
people (“the
camp of the
saints”) and
against Jesus
Himself reigning
in
Jerusalem
(“and the
beloved city”).
Scripture does
not record that
a single saint’s
life is lost, or
that a single
blow by the
maddened,
enraged and
rebellious army
is struck. The
unholy army
moves into
position and
they are
suddenly and
summarily slain
by fire coming
down out of
heaven.
What a scene! In
the Old
Testament, men
came to seize
Elijah the
Tishbite, God’s
prophet:
“Then the king
sent to him a
captain of fifty
with his fifty.
And he went up
to him, and
behold, he was
sitting on the
top of the hill.
And he said to
him, ‘O man of
God, the king
says, “Come
down.”‘ Elijah
replied to the
captain of
fifty, ‘If I am
a man of God,
let fire come
down from heaven
and consume you
and your fifty.’
Then fire came
down from heaven
and consumed him
and his fifty.”
(2 Kings 1:9-10)
A second attempt
was made in
verses 11-12,
with the same
results.
Finally, a third
captain of fifty
came up, and
begged for his
life (verses
13-15), which
was granted him.
We see this
miracle again
during the
Tribulation
period as the
Two Witnesses,
doing the
miracles and
bearing the
testimony of
Moses and
Elijah,
representing the
Law and the
Prophets, are
also
supernaturally
protected in
like manner.
“And if anyone
wants to harm
them, fire flows
out of their
mouth and
devours their
enemies; so if
anyone wants to
harm them, he
must be killed
in this way.”
(Revelation
11:5)
Now, at the end
of the
Millennium,
somewhere after
the year 3000, a
vast multitude,
whose number “is
like the sand of
the seashore”
(Revelation
20:8b), is
likewise slain.
An awesome,
terrible sight
that must be a
veritable deluge
of fire killing
each and every
one of those
rebels, no
matter that
their number “is
like the sand of
the seashore.”
So, even as we
saw that this
“last hurrah” of
Satan ends with
his eternal
consignment to
the lake of
fire, there is
another truth to
be gleaned from
this event
somewhere after
the year 3000.
What is this
truth we can
glean? How about
proof that the
Rapture is
Pre-Trib?
Set your
sanctified
imagination to
work. Sometime
here, in our
day, there will
be a 7-year
Tribulation
period
beginning,
falling upon all
who live on the
earth. Move
ahead to the end
of those 7 years
to where the
prophesied
return of Jesus
Christ happens.
The skies open,
and Jesus Christ
returns!
“And I saw
heaven opened,
and behold, a
white horse, and
He who sat on it
is called
Faithful and
True, and in
righteousness He
judges and wages
war.”
(Revelation
19:11)
In verses 12-21,
Jesus destroys
the rebel
enemies Satan
gathered at
Armageddon. Now,
there are many
views of when
the Rapture (1
Thessalonians
4:17) will occur
in relation to
this 7-year
Tribulation
period. Some
believe it will
occur after the
7 years; hence,
this view is
called the Post
(i.e.,
after)-Trib
Rapture.
According to
this view,
Christ’s Church
will have to
endure through
the entire
7-year
Tribulation
period, and only
at its finale,
as Jesus parts
the skies in His
second coming,
will the Rapture
occur.
Then there is a
more recent view
that emerged in
the 1990s called
the Pre-Wrath
Rapture.
According to
this view,
Christians will
be enduring
through the
first half of
the Trib period,
and then
sometime after
the middle but
before the end
of the Trib, the
Rapture will
occur. The name
is derived from
its proponents’
view that the
wrath of God
does not begin
until sometime
after the middle
of the 7-year
Trib period.
Next we have the
Mid-Trib
Rapture. Its
proponents
believe that
since the
Scriptures seem
to pivotally
divide the Trib
period into two
equal halves of
3½ years each
(which, in fact,
it does), then
this middle
point has
significance,
and therefore
this is when the
Rapture occurs.
Finally, there
is the Pre-Trib
Rapture. This
view teaches
that Christians
will not endure
any of the
7-year Trib
period. Hence,
it is called
Pre-(i.e.,
before)-Trib
Rapture.
Now, what has
the deaths of
the rebels
(after the
release of Satan
from his
1,000-year
imprisonment) to
do with knowing
when the Rapture
will happen in
relation to the
7-year Trib
period? I’m glad
you asked.
There are some
other points
that need to be
expressed to
bring clarity to
the answer.
First, when the
Rapture occurs,
the dead in
Christ are
resurrected into
glorious
immortal bodies
like Jesus’s own
body after He
resurrected.
Then the living
are resurrected
also. (1
Corinthians
15:51)
“For our
citizenship is
in heaven, from
which also we
eagerly wait for
a Savior, the
Lord Jesus
Christ; who will
transform the
body of our
humble state
into conformity
with the body of
His glory, by
the exertion of
the power that
He has even to
subject all
things to
Himself.”
(Philippians
3:20-21)
An important
thing to note
about a
resurrected
body, in
addition to
being immortal,
is that marriage
and
conceiving/bearing
children is a
thing of the
past, and does
not occur
anymore to a
resurrected
person.
In Matthew 22,
the Sadducees,
who did not
believe in a
resurrection
(Matthew 22:23),
tried to trap
Jesus by posing
a hypothetical
situation where
7 brothers, each
in turn as the
predecessor
died, married
the same woman.
They thought
they had Jesus
because of the
idea, “In the
resurrection,
therefore whose
wife of the
seven will she
be? For they had
all married
her.” (Matthew
22:28)
Jesus revealed a
truth about the
resurrection in
response.
“For in the
resurrection
they neither
marry nor are
given in
marriage, but
are like angels
in heaven.”
(Matthew 22:30)
This truth means
that resurrected
people no longer
are married and
therefore no
longer have
children. This
will have
bearing on
determining when
the Rapture
occurs, as we
shall see
shortly.
The second point
that needs to be
expressed is the
chronological
order of certain
events within
the 7-year
Tribulation
period. The Trib
period begins
with the
breaking of the
first Seal in
Revelation
6:1-2.
At the middle
point (“a time,
times and half a
time” = 3½ years
= ½ “week” = 42
months = 1,260
days), the
Antichrist will
commit the
“abomination of
desolation,” a
hateful
sacrilegious act
of blasphemy.
(See Daniel
7:25; Revelation
12:6,14;
Revelation 13:5
for the time
references
above.)
“And he will
make a firm
covenant with
the many for one
week, but in the
middle of the
week he will put
a stop to
sacrifice and
grain offering;
and on the wing
of abominations
will come one
who makes
desolate...”
(Daniel 9:27a)
“Therefore when
you see the
Abomination of
Desolation which
was spoken of
through Daniel
the prophet,
standing in the
holy place...”
(Matthew 24:15a)
“...and the man
of lawlessness
is revealed, the
son of
destruction, who
opposes and
exalts himself
above every
so-called god or
object of
worship, so that
he takes his
seat in the
temple of God,
displaying
himself as being
God...” (2
Thessalonians
2:3b-4)
What happens,
chronologically,
when the
Antichrist
commits the
Abomination of
Desolation, is a
judgment on
those who have
believed his lie
of blasphemy. In
short, God seals
them in their
unbelief.
“that is, the
one whose coming
[i.e., the
Antichrist’s] is
in accord with
the activity of
Satan, with all
power and signs
and false
wonders, and
with all the
deception of
wickedness for
those who
perish, because
they did not
receive the love
of the truth so
as to be saved.”
(2 Thessalonians
2:9-10)
We then read in
the following
verse that God
seals their
doom:
“For this reason
God will send
upon them a
deluding
influence so
that they will
believe what is
false, in order
that they all
may be judged
who did not
believe the
truth, but took
pleasure in
wickedness.” ( 2
Thessalonians
2:11-12)
From the above,
we may come to
the right
conclusion that
if a person who
is going through
the Tribulation
period does not
believe the
gospel by the
time of the
middle point
when the
Antichrist
commits the
Abomination of
Desolation, then
because that
person “did not
receive the love
of the truth so
as to be saved”
and “did not
believe the
truth, but took
pleasure in
wickedness,” God
will seal them
in their
unbelief by
sending “upon
them a deluding
influence...in
order that they
all may be
judged.”
In other words,
no one gets
saved after the
middle of the
Tribulation
period. If you
have resisted
the outpouring
of the gospel
during the first
3½ years of the
Trib period
(through the
144,000 in
Revelation 7 and
the Two
Witnesses in
Revelation 11),
then you are
sealed in
unbelief and are
doomed to
damnation.
The above was
mentioned to a
dear Christian
sister many
years ago. Her
reaction was
shock and
indignation. She
told me, “My God
is a God of
love—He would
never do that!”
However,
sentimentality
is not a proper
gauge of truth,
sadly.
We already have
a precedent for
God sealing
someone in their
unbelief—Pharaoh.
At first,
Pharaoh hardened
his own heart,
then God
hardened it for
him.
Pharoah
hardening his
heart: Genesis
7:13; 8:15,
8:32; 9:34.
God hardening
Pharaoh’s heart:
Genesis 9:12;
10:27.
We also see that
God gives up on
men and women,
to give them
over to their
sins in Romans:
“Therefore God
gave them over
in the lusts of
their hearts to
impurity, so
that their
bodies would be
dishonored among
them.” (Romans
1:24)
“For this reason
God gave them
over...” (Romans
1:26)
“And just as
they did not see
fit to
acknowledge God
any longer, God
gave them over
to a depraved
mind...” (Romans
1:28)
Why would He do
that? The answer
is revealed in
that same
chapter.
“For the wrath
of God is
revealed from
heaven against
all ungodliness
and
unrighteousness
of men who
suppress the
truth in
unrighteousness.”
(Romans 1:18)
Now when you
speak of the
7-year
Tribulation
period, that
verse in Romans
1:18 is even
more applicable.
The whole world
has rejected God
as they worship
the Antichrist
(i.e., the
beast), and
through him,
worship the
devil, Satan,
the dragon.
“they worshipped
the dragon
because he gave
his authority to
the beast [i.e.,
the Antichrist];
and they
worshipped the
beast...”
(Revelation
13:4a)
Corroboration of
a cut-off point
beyond which no
gets saved, but
rather receives
wrath, is found
in Revelation. A
small but
necessary
explanation
regarding things
taught in
Revelation is
needed to make
this clear.
Certainly, there
is a timeline of
events
progressing
throughout the 7
years of the
Tribulation
period. The 7
Seals, 7
Trumpets and 7
Bowls (i.e.,
7-7-7 countdown)
follow one
another in time
and succession
up to the Second
Coming of Jesus
Christ at the
end of the 7
years as
revealed in
chapter 19.
However, there
are in
Revelation
passages where
that 7-7-7
countdown is
interrupted; in
other words, the
sequential time
of events are
put on hold, so
to speak, so
that other
topics can be
addressed. Those
“pauses” are
called by some
scholars
“parenthetical”
passages, and
the events they
reveal are
almost always
about things
occurring at
some other time
than the time of
wherever the
7-7-7 countdown
is paused.
The
parenthetical
passages are:
Revelation 7;
11:1-14; 12; 13;
14; 17; 18.
It is in
Revelation 14
that we go to
find our
corroboration
for a cut-off to
the offer of
salvation.
Revelation 14
offers several
small scenes.
Verses 1-5 speak
of the 144,000
sons of Israel first seen in chapter 7, standing on Mount
Zion
with Jesus. If
Revelation 14
were in sync,
time-wise, with
the flow of the
7-7-7 countdown,
this event would
be occurring
somewhere after
the middle of
the
Tribulation’s 7
years. Yet, we
know that Jesus
doesn’t come
back to Earth
until Revelation
19:11-21. (See
also Zechariah
14:1-4.) Hence,
this scene is
parenthetical,
not a part of
the 7-7-7
countdown.
Moreover,
Revelation 14:8
doesn’t happen
in the flow of
time until
Revelation
16:19, so it,
too, is
parenthetical.
Now, we go to
Revelation
14:14-20, which
describes the
cut-off point
followed by only
wrath that I
have described.
“Then
I looked, and
behold, a white
cloud, and
sitting on the
cloud was one
like a son of
man, having a
golden crown on
His head and a
sharp sickle in
His hand. And
another angel
came out of the
temple, crying
out with a loud
voice to Him who
sat on the
cloud, ‘Put in
your sickle and
reap, for the
hour to reap has
come, because
the harvest of
the earth is
ripe.’ Then He
who sat on the
cloud swung His
sickle over the
earth, and the
earth was
reaped.”
(Revelation
14:14-16)
The imagery is
of Jesus
completing the
harvest of
souls. Fields
and harvest are
used in
Scripture to
speak of God’s
efforts to save
souls. (See Mark
4:3-23; Luke
4:35-38; 1
Corinthians
3:6-9.)
Revelation
14:14-16
describes the
completion of
that harvest,
“the earth was
reaped.” This is
past tense,
meaning, the
deed is done and
over with,
finished. In
human farming,
once the harvest
is finished,
there’s no more.
It’s over. While
this passage in
Revelation 14
doesn’t say WHEN
it will happen
(in the context
of the 7-year
Tribulation), it
nevertheless
does tell us
THAT it will
happen. This
passage
demonstrates
there is a
cut-off point in
the Tribulation
when the harvest
of saved human
souls is reaped,
and after which
there is no more
harvest.
Let’s continue
with the
passage.
“Then another
angel came out
of the temple,
which is in
heaven, and he
also had a sharp
sickle.”
(Revelation
14:17)
First, we see
Jesus completing
the harvest of
souls unto
salvation with a
sickle. Now, we
see another
sickle. However,
as we are about
to see, this
sickle is not
for salvation,
but judgment.
“Then another
angel, the one
who has the
power over fire,
came out of from
the altar; and
he called with a
loud voice to
him who had the
sharp sickle,
saying, ‘Put in
your sharp
sickle and
gather the
clusters from
the vine of the
earth, because
her grapes are
ripe.’ So the
angel swung his
sickle to the
earth and
gathered the
clusters from
the vine of the
earth, and threw
them into the
great wine press
of the wrath of
God. And the
wine press was
trodden outside
of the city, and
blood came out
from the wine
press, up to the
horses’ bridles,
for a distance
of two hundred
miles.”
(Revelation
14:17-20)
From this we see
that once the
harvest is done,
there is no more
salvation, only
terrible wrath.
While Revelation
14 demonstrates
that there is a
cut-off point
after which no
one gets saved,
and also that
only wrath
follows that
cut-off point,
it is 2
Thessalonians 2
that shows WHEN
the cut-off
point occurs—at
the Abomination
of Desolation at
the middle of
the
Tribulation’s 7
years. (cf
Daniel 9:27)
As further
corroboration of
a mid-Trib
cut-off point
for the gospel,
let us consider
another
parenthetical
passage,
Revelation
11:1-13. In
Revelation
10:8-11, John is
told to take and
eat a book, so
he does, finding
it sweet to the
mouth but bitter
in the stomach.
He is told he
must prophesy
again. This
command is a
signpost to let
us know that
John is taking
up a new line of
thought of
prophecy. If he
were only
continuing the
7-7-7 countdown,
the text would
have said,
“continue.”
Instead, he is
directed with
“again.”
So, Revelation
11 backs up in
time to the
beginning of the
Trib period. We
are told that a
new temple is to
be built
(Revelation
11:1-2) where
people will
worship God. As
we all know,
today as of the
time of the
writing of this
message, there
is no temple.
Nevertheless, a
new temple is
necessary before
the Antichrist
can enter the temple of God,
disrupt temple
sacrifices, and
commit the
Abomination of
Desolation.
(Daniel 9:27; 2
Thessalonians
2:4)
Following the
revelation of a
new temple, we
are then told of
Two Witnesses
(Revelation
11:3-4;
Zechariah
4:12-14). Their
ministry is for
a specific—and
limited—time
period.
“And I will
grant authority
to my two
witnesses, and
they will
prophesy for
twelve hundred
and sixty days,
clothed in
sackcloth.”
(Revelation
11:3)
It says, “my
witnesses.” Who
is meant by
“my”? I believe
it is Jesus, for
He told His
disciples before
He ascended:
“but you will
receive power
when the Holy
Spirit has come
upon you, and
you shall be
witnesses both
in
Jerusalem,
and in all Judea
and
Samaria,
and even to the
remotest part of
the earth.”
(Acts 1:8)
Now, these Two
Witnesses
testify to
Jesus, sharing
the gospel. They
are the voice of
the Law and the
Prophets
testifying to
the gospel of
Jesus Christ,
for their
miracles are
those of Moses,
the Law, and
Elijah, the
Prophets
(Revelation
11:6). They are
supernaturally
protected from
harm by their
enemies, and
they strike the
unbelievers of
the earth with
plagues.
(Revelation
11:5-8) Their
witness goes out
to
Jerusalem,
Judea and
Samaria,
and all the
earth. Their
ministry only
lasts for half
the 7-year
Tribulation
period, which is
divided into two
halves of 1,260
days each. But,
in which half do
the Two
Witnesses
minister? It’s
not the latter
half, for they
are slain and
lay in the
streets of
Jerusalem
for 3½ days
(Revelation
11:7-8). If
their ministry
were in the
second half,
they would be
slain on the
same day as the
Second Coming,
and would lay in Jerusalem’s streets for 3½
days past the
end of the Trib
period.
Moreover, the
nations rejoice
over their
deaths, watching
their dead
bodies for those
3½ days
(Revelation
11:9-10). That
people would do
this for 3½ days
past the end of
the Trib, when
Christ has
already returned
and smote the
armies of the
world at the
battle of
Armageddon and
judged the
nations (Matthew
25:31-46), is
inconceivable.
Therefore, the
time of the
ministry of the
Two Witnesses is
in the first
half. This means
that they start
their ministry
on Day 1 of the
Tribulation
period, and that
they finish
their last day,
Day 1,260, on
the same day as
when Antichrist
commits the
Abomination of
Desolation
(Daniel 9:27).
My understanding
is that when the
Antichrist does
this sacrilege,
he sees the Two
Witnesses, and
kills them
because he wants
to be worshipped
as God, and will
not tolerate any
dissenting
voice.
“Who opposes and
exalts himself
above every
so-called god or
object of
worship, so that
he takes his
seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” (2
Thessalonians
2:4)
Now, a question
arises in
connection with
the length of
the time given
to them to
minister. Why is
it only 1,260
days? Why not
the whole
7-years of the
Tribulation
period? Many
Christians
believe that
people are saved
throughout the
entire 7-year
Tribulation
period, so why
is the Two
Witnesses’s
ministry only
for half that
time? We have
already seen
that they are
supernaturally
protected so no
one can harm
them:
“And if anyone
wants to harm
them, fire flows
out of their
mouth and
devours their
enemies; so if
anyone wants to
harm them, he
must be killed
in this way.”
(Revelation
11:5)
Antichrist is
empowered by
Satan (2
Thessalonians
2:9-10), but the
Two Witnesses
are protected by
God. Satan’s
man, no matter
how empowered,
is no match for
God, for
“greater is He
who is in you
than he who is
in the world.”
(1 John 4:4b).
Satan’s power
could not defend
the Antichrist
from being slain
by that fire
from the mouth
of the Two
Witnesses.
The only thing
that makes sense
for the
Antichrist to be
able to kill
them is because
God allows him
to do it. But
if, as many
Christians
believe, the
gospel is shared
and people get
saved throughout
the entire
7-year Trib, why
allow the
ministers to be
killed when the
job is half
done?
This makes no
sense unless we
realize that
Revelation
14:14-20 teaches
us that there is
a cut-off point
for the gospel,
and that cut-off
point is when
the Antichrist
commits the
Abomination of
Desolation. It
is then at that
point in time,
at the middle of
the 7 years,
when God allows
His Two
Witnesses to be
slain, and then
that He seals
men in their
unbelief. (2
Thessalonians
2:11-12)
God doesn’t
allow the Two
Witnesses to die
when the job is
half done,
because at that
point, it is ALL
done. The earth
is reaped, the
harvest gathered
in, the offer of
salvation
withdrawn, and
the inhabitants
of the earth get
only vengeance
once the
Antichrist
commits the
Abomination of
Desolation at
the middle of
the Tribulation.
Now, returning
to our year 3000
situation
described
earlier, let’s
tie it all
together to show
why the Rapture
MUST be
Pre-Trib.
Let’s start by
examining the
human race in
the year 3000.
The 7-year Trib
has come and
gone by that
time (the
Rapture having
happened also).
The Millennium
has also come
and gone, for
the final
release of Satan
and the
rebellious army
he gathers
happens after
the 1,000 years
(Revelation
20:7).
At this point in
the history of
mankind, there
are four
categories of
human existence:
#1 Saved and
immortal (i.e.,
resurrected).
#2 Saved and
mortal (i.e.,
still living,
not seen death).
#3 Lost and dead
(i.e., died in
their sins).
#4 Lost and
mortal (i.e.,
still living
also).
By process of
elimination,
let’s examine
who the people
are that join
Satan in this
one last,
frightening
rebellion, where
their number “is
like the sand of
the seashore.”
(Revelation
20:8b)
They are not
Choice #1
People in the
rebellion are
mortal, meaning
they are living,
but can die. In
point of fact,
they do die,
being slain by
fire out of
heaven.
Moreover, the
people of Choice
#1 are
resurrected.
They would NEVER
follow Satan,
because they
have been
resurrected, and
as Scripture
says, “and so we
shall always be
with the Lord.”
(1 Thessalonians
4:17b) As we
have already
seen, the
rebellious army
follows Satan
(Revelation
20:7-9)
They are not
Choice #2
The people in
the rebellion
are, in point of
fact, attacking
the people of
Choice #2., for
it says they
“surrounded the
camp of the
saints and the
beloved city.”
(Revelation
20:9a)
They are not
Choice #3
The people in
Choice #3 are
already dead, in
Hell, and are
awaiting the
final judgment.
The rebellion
army is NOT
dead, but are
living people
(but who do die
later on).
By process of
elimination, the
people of the
rebellion can
only be Choice
#4, “Lost and
mortal.” They
are lost because
they follow
Satan against
God, and mortal
because they can
be slain (and do
get slain by
God).
Let’s examine
the various
Rapture
positions by
comparing them
to this
rebellious army.
The rebels were
gathered by
Satan from among
“the nations
which are in the
four corners of
the earth.”
(Revelation
20:8b) They are
living people
from all across
the globe out of
all the nations.
Now, living
mortal people
are born from
living mortal
parents, who in
turn came from
parents, who in
turn came...,
etc. Since it is
seen that these
rebels are
mortal and
gathered from
all nations,
this means they
emerged out of
the 1,000-year
Millennial
period. In other
words, these are
adults who were
living on Earth
during the final
days of the
Millennium
(i.e., the 1,000
years).
If these mortals
came OUT of the
Millennium, then
it follows that
mortal men and
women entered
INTO the
Millennium, got
married, had
children, and
children’s
children, and so
on, so that
their mortal
descendants
would someday
emerge from that
1,000-year long
period, and then
join Satan in
the last great
rebellion.
If mortal living
men and women
entered the
Millennium (and
they did in
order to have
descendants who
would one day
join Satan’s
rebellion), then
we now can
examine the
Rapture
positions.
Let’s start with
the Post-Trib
Rapture. This
teaches that
people make it
all the way
through the
7-year Trib
period, and then
are Resurrected
in the Rapture.
These
Raptured/Resurrected
souls then join
Jesus and return
to the earth
together with
Jesus at His
Second Coming.
It is here that
the Post-Trib
Rapture hits an
impossible
problem. All
believers are
taken in the
Rapture, and
only unbelievers
are left. All
believers are
then immortal,
but the
unbelievers
remain mortal.
The unbelievers
ALL have the
infamous “666”
Mark of the
Beast on their
right hand and
forehead
(Revelation
13:14-18). The
Millennial
Kingdom is a righteous Kingdom of God—no “666” unbeliever will enter it
(see Revelation
14:9-11 and
Matthew
25:31-46).
So, then, if the
Post-Trib
Rapture were
true, all
believers are
immortal “like
the angels” and
have no
children, and
all unbelievers
are thrown into
Hell (i.e., not
allowed into
God’s righteous
Millennial
Kingdom), then
where do the
mortal human
beings come
from, who enter
the Millennium,
marry, have
kids, their kids
have kids, and
so on, until at
last their
descendants
(being Choice
#4) join with
Satan after the
Millennium is
over?
If the Post-Trib
Rapture were
true, there can
be NO mortal
human beings at
all, anywhere!
Remember, the
righteous are
ALL resurrected
(i.e., “we will
all be changed”)
(1 Corinthians
15:51b), so none
of them will
have any
children, and
all the
unrighteous are
killed, having
“666” on them.
Where do the
mortals come
from?
Rather than
strain and
stretch and
distort
Scripture to
somehow force
mortals into
existence, let
us honestly face
the truth: the
Post-Trib
Rapture is not
true.
The same problem
exists for the
Mid-Trib Rapture
and Pre-Wrath
Rapture
scenarios.
According to 2
Thessalonians
2:9-12, no
one gets
saved after the
middle point
when the
Antichrist
commits the
Abomination of
Desolation, for
God sends a
strong delusion
upon anyone who
has not believed
by that time. In
either case, of
Mid-Trib or
Pre-Wrath, once
the Rapture
happens, the
only righteous
are immortals
who do not have
children, and
the unrighteous
mortals are all
destroyed. Both
the Mid-Trib and
Pre-Wrath
Raptures are not
true.
This leaves the
unique Pre-Trib
Rapture. All
righteous are
resurrected,
becoming
immortals. But!
The gospel
continues to go
forth under the
ministries of
the Two
Witnesses (who
witness to Israel)
and the 144,000
(who witness to
the nations).
Many, many souls
get saved AFTER
the Pre-Trib
rapture, and it
is from among
these saved
mortals (Choice
#2) that mortal
descendants are
born throughout
the Millennium,
and some of who
join Satan in
that final
rebellion.
You see, we can
learn much from
the Year 3000!
Maranatha!
In Jesus’s love
and grace,
Paul