God's Prophetic Blueprint
Chapter 13
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
It has been my observation in recent years that Christians have become increasingly interested in Bible prophecy that interest is bringing about a healthy desire to sound the depths of prophetic truth revealed in God's precious Word. In churches where I have gone to conduct prophecy conferences, believers have asked many questions on this vital subject. Hopefully, most of them have been answered in the preceding chapters. It is my desire to conclude this book by addressing those questions that have not been dealt with thus far.
Question: Why will the Church be raptured prior to the Seventieth Week of Daniel?
Answer: In Daniel 9:24, we read: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city. . . " It is clear that this prophecy was to affect the nation of Israel. The people of Daniel were the Jews. Since the Church was not found in the first 69 weeks that have already come and gone, there is no reason to place it in the Seventieth Week which is yet to appear. It should also be noted that the Seventieth Week does not begin with the Rapture of the Church but with the signing of the covenant between the Antichrist and the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:27). Since he will not be revealed until after the Church is raptured (11 Thessalonians 2:7, 8), it is logical to deduce that the Church cannot be on earth during the Seventieth Week. In addition, it is an interesting fact that after the Church is spoken of in Revelation 3, it is not referred to as being on earth until after the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19. The Bride of Christ is pictured in Heaven during Tribulation days (Revelation 19:7-10).
Question: What are the differences between the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment?
Answer: In the preceding chapter, we considered the Great White Throne Judgment which takes place following the Millennial Kingdom. It will be a judgment of works for all unbelievers and will determine degrees of punishment which will be their portion in the Lake of Fire throughout eternity (Revelation 20:11-15). No believer will stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment.
The Judgment Seat of Christ will follow the Rapture of the Church and will take place at least 1,007 years before the Great White Throne Judgment. It will also be a judgment of works (11 Corinthians 5:10) to determine degrees of reward for believers who will enjoy eternity with Jesus Christ. No less than five crowns will be given to saints of God who have labored faithfully for Him:
1. The incorruptible crown (I Corinthians 9:25)
2. The crown of life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10)
3. The crown of glory (I Peter 5:4)
4. The crown of rejoicing (I Thessalonians 2:19)
5. The crown of righteousness (II Timothy 4:8)
Question: How can the Rapture be imminent when the Gospel has not yet been preached in all tongues?
Answer: This question has its roots in Matthew 24:14 where we read: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come." It should be understood that the "gospel of the kingdom" is the same as the Gospel we preach today as far as its content is concerned. It is called the "gospel of the kingdom" in Matthew 24 because it will be preached just prior to the Kingdom Age. Jesus is speaking here of the great missionary outreach that will take place during Tribulation days following the Rapture of the Church. In the revelation, John sees the extent of that world-wide spiritual awakening: "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands" (Revelation 7:9). In other words, Matthew 24:14 is not talking about world evangelism that must take place before the Rapture. The Church is not commissioned to go into all the world to preach the Gospel to every creature so that Christ may return to rapture His Bride. Our obedience must be based on the clear command and compassion of Jesus (Mark 16:15; 11 Peter 3:9).
Question: Will Christians know who the Antichrist is before the Rapture?
Answer: It is the conviction of some noted students of Bible prophecy that the Antichrist will be Judas Iscariot restored to life. Those who believe that Satan does not have the power to bring one back to life are more comfortable with the position that the Antichrist will be another man who will be filled and controlled by Satan as Judas was. If this position is true, then it is possible that we could be seeing the Antichrist today but not know it is he. For that matter, if he is alive at this hour, he is not aware of the part he will someday play in Bible prophecy. Whichever position you take (I prefer the latter), the fact remains that believers will be removed from this earthly scene before the wicked one is revealed (11 Thessalonians 2:7, 8).
Question: When will the Antichrist seize total power over all the earth?
Answer. According to Daniel 7:8, Antichrist will seize immediate control of three of the ten nations in the revived Roman Empire. Shortly thereafter, he will gain control over the seven remaining nations. With the destruction of the great northern confederacy headed up by Russia (Ezekiel 38), Antichrist will then become the undisputed ruler of the world (Revelation 13:7).
Question: Who are the 144,000?
Answer. In Revelation 7, we are introduced to a special group of believers who are called "the servants of our God" (Revelation 7:3). They are later referred to as the "firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb" (Revelation 14:4). These will be the first to come to Christ as Saviour following the Rapture of the Church, and they will number 144,000. In Revelation 7, we read that they will come out of the tribes of Israel, 12,000 from each of the 12 Tribes. One note of clarification should be made: The tribe of Dan is excluded (Revelation 7:6) and Manasseh (one of the sons of Joseph) takes his place. We are not told why this change is made, but some have suggested that it is because the tribe of Dan was always one of the first to go into idolatry (Judges 18:30). Jacob's prophecy concerning his son, Dan, may also be a factor (Genesis 49:17).
Question: Will any believers be in the Battle of Armageddon?
Answer: When Christ returns in His Revelation to destroy the total military power of earth and to bring to an end Satan's reign of terror, the Tribulation saints who are still alive will either be in prison or in hiding. Since they will have refused the mark of the beast, they will not be a part of the political, social, or economic community of Antichrist.
Question: Will there be death during the Millennial reign of Christ?
Answer: It was observed in an earlier chapter that all of those who are with Christ at the dawn of the Millennium will be true believers. All will have glorified bodies with the exception of those who lived through the Great Tribulation. Those mortals will become the progenitors of a new race on earth. Those born in Millennial days must receive Christ as Saviour just as people in prior dispensations. It is unthinkable, but it is true, that millions of people born under the perfect conditions of Christ's Kingdom will still refuse to accept Him as Saviour. From Isaiah's prophecy, it is learned, "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 an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed" (Isaiah 65:20). Apparently, in the theocracy, even with Satan in the bottomless pit, some unbelievers will exert their Adamic nature to the point that they must be judged on an individual basis and cast into Hades. Since longevity will be restored during Millennial days, it will seem that a 100-year-old person who dies is like a child. All unbelievers will come together when Satan is released from the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:7) in a mighty display of rebellion against the rule of Jesus Christ. The fire of God will then fall from Heaven and devour that great host (Revelation 20:8, 9). They will be the last mortals to taste of physical death.
Question: What will follow the Great White Throne Judgment?
Answer. The final judgment of God will be upon the earth and the heavens. The Apostle Peter wrote: "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? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (11 Peter 3:12, 13). The timing of this final judgment is found in Revelation 21, where, following the Great White Throne Judgment, John declares: "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" (verse 1). Those who have trusted God's Son as Saviour will enjoy His fellowship under perfect conditions throughout eternity.
Question: Please explain the seventy-five-day period between the seventieth week and the millennium.
Answer: Please read Daniel 12:11, 12. The day is coming when Antichrist will sign a covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27). The signing of this peace treaty will officially start a seven-year period of time we call the seventieth week of Daniel. It is a period of 2,520 days (see chart). But "in the midst of the week [that is after 1,260 days] he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" (Daniel 9:27). At that time he will place an image, like himself, in the temple. Jesus called this, "the abomination of desolation" (Matthew 24:15).
Since this will happen at the halfway point of the seventieth week we conclude there will be exactly 1,260 days until the end of the seventieth week. However, Daniel 12:11 tells us that the duration of the abomination will continue for 1,290 days. This represents a thirty-day extension. An added forty five days are found in verse 12. During these seventy-five days the following will take place: The Revelation of Christ will occur (Revelation 19:11-19). The antichrist and the false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20), Satan will be cast into the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3), and the survivors of the great tribulation will be judged (Matthew 25:1-13, 31-46).
Now may I offer one final observation as I conclude this book on Bible prophecy. No one has eternal life because he believes what God will accomplish in the future. We are not saved by what God will do, but by what God has done. If you want life everlasting you must look back to Calvary. It was there that Jesus took upon Himself the sin of the world, shed His blood, and gave His life. If you have never trusted this crucified, resurrected "Lamb of God," as your Savior, I urge you to come to Him now.
Pray a prayer like this: "Oh, God, I confess that I am a sinner and repent of my sin. I believe you love me, inspite of my sin, and sent your Son to earth to bear my sin in His body on the cross. Lord, Jesus, I believe you shed your blood and gave your life as the only atonement for my sin. I also believe you arose from the dead. I ask you to enter my life. Be merciful to me a sinner and save me now. "