Year of Prophecy: © 1762 BC (Genesis 46:4, 47:9)

Year of Fulfillment: © 1422 BC (Joshua 4:19)

Time until fulfillment: ~340 years

The promise to Jacob that his family would return to Canaan is an example of fulfilled Biblical Prophecy. To show how the amount of time passing between prophecy and fulfillment doesn’t matter, we will cover ten of such prophecies. This is the third of ten.

This promise is similar and related to the promise to Abraham discussed previously. God had told Abraham his descendants would be enslaved for a 400-year period but would return with great wealth (Gn 15:13-16). Apparently, Abraham’s descendants taught this fact to their children, for Joseph asked his brothers to not forget ‘his bones’ (realizing that it would be a long time before it would happen) when they returned to Canaan (Gn 50:24-25). Joseph realized that he was part of that fulfillment (Gn 50:19-20) and the reason he asked his father and family to come (Gn 50:21), and the reason God assured Jacob that going to Egypt was part of His plan (Gn 46:3-4). After the time of Joseph, however, this promise seemed to have faded with time. The Israelites complained even before they left Egypt (Ex 5:20, 6:9) and as they were leaving Egypt (Ex 14:12). Truly, if God had not kept His promise, no one would have even known He had forgotten. Thankfully, God does not forget! (Is 49:15; 2Pt 3:9).

There are promises in the Bible for us as well. That is why we need to read and study so that we can know what they are and claim them, knowing they will come true. God never forgets. That should be a comfort to us as well as a wakeup call. Do you want to be ready for the next fulfilled promise to come or be totally surprised and unprepared? The choice is yours.

Note: There seems to be a discrepancy between the times the Israelites were slaves in Egypt versus the time it took for the fulfillment of this prophecy. We know the Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years (Ex 12:40-41) and were in the wilderness for 40 years (Js 5:6); However, John Pratt (a Biblical chronologists whom I chose to indicate the timing of these Biblical events) puts the Crossing of the Jordan River in 1422 BC. Apparently, he is considering the 430 years to start with Joseph entering Egypt rather than Jacob and his family entering Egypt. Jacob was in Egypt 17 years before he died (Gn 47:28), which is about the same number of years as Joseph’s age when he was sold into Egypt (Gn 37:2). The important point is that God kept his promise even when the children of Israel had forgotten all about it. We can always count on God not forgetting.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Year of Prophecy: ©1977 BC (Genesis 12)

Year of Fulfillment: ©1395 BC (near death of Joshua – Joshua 24:13)

Time until fulfillment: ~582 years

The promise of a nation to Abraham is an example of fulfilled Biblical Prophecy. To show how the amount of time passing between prophecy and fulfillment doesn’t matter, we will cover ten of such prophecies. This is the second of ten.

As was seen earlier, when God made His covenant with Abraham (Gn 17), it included the promise of making Abraham into a great nation. Actually, this promise was given even earlier – when God called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldea (Gn 12:2). However, the fulfillment of this promise did not occur during Abraham’s lifetime. Both Abraham and his son Isaac seemed to remain somewhat Nomadic during their lifetime (Gn 20:1, 21:34, 24:62, 26:1, 17, 23) although they became very wealthy (Gn 26:13), another part of the promise (Gn 12:2-3). It was not until after the time of Moses and during the leadership of Joshua that the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham through the promise, became recognized as a nation. The life of Joshua was devoted to the conquering of the land of Canaan for establishing Israel as a nation. At the time of his death, Israel had rest from war (Js 23:1). Although other altercations later ensued, Israel had become a formidable nation with which to be reckoned.

Because this promise to Abraham was unconditional, the actions of Abraham or his descendants did not change the outcome. This was probably a good thing, because the Israelites were not always appreciative of the journey to becoming a nation. Over the 2-year period it took the Israelites to reach Canaan, the Promised Land, from Egypt (Ex 13:17-18 states that they did not take the shortest way so as to avoid early war with other nations which would discourage them and have them voluntarily return to Egypt) there are 10 rebellions that are recorded in Scripture:

1. Complained at the Red Sea about being trapped (Ex 14:11): God performed a miracle by parting the Red Sea so Israel could go through on dry ground, but Pharaoh’s army was drowned (Ex 14:21-31)

2. Complained at Marah about water being bitter (Ex 15:24): God performed a miracle by showing Moses a tree to cast into the waters which then became drinkable (Ex 15:25)

3. Complained in Desert of Sin about no food (Ex 16:3): God performed a miracle by sending quail for food and sent manna every morning until they reached Canaan (Ex 16:4-15)

4. Disobeyed and tried to gather manna on the Sabbath (Ex 16:27): God had Moses re-explain the significance of the Sabbath and why a double portion was to be gathered on the sixth day (Ex 16:29-30)

5. Complained at Rephidim about lack of water (Ex 17:2): God performed a miracle by providing water from a rock (Ex 17:5-6)

6. Worshipped golden calf (Ex 32:5-6): Levites killed about 3000 people using their swords (Ex 32:27-28)

7. Complained at Taberah about their hardships (Nu 11:1-3): fire from the Lord consumed the outskirts of the camp (Nu 11:1)

8. Complained about the manna at Kibroth Hattaavah (Nu 11:4-6): God performed a miracle and sent quail, but also sent a plague among them (Nu 11:31-34)

9. Miriam & Aaron opposed Moses (Nu 12:1-2): Miriam was given leprosy and had to dwell outside the camp for 7 days at which point God healed her (Nu 12:15)

10. Complained at Kadesh Barnea about not being able to enter the Promised Land (Nu 14:2-3): God had them stay in the wilderness a year for each day the spies were spying out the land of Canaan (a total of 40 years) (Nu 14:34).

These incidences show the longsuffering of God to Israel and how the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham was not dependent upon their obedience. The first five instances above have no consequences attached to them. However, the last five have consequences, yet Israel still did not learn their lesson. Then, after the 10th rebellion, God stated that they would have to roam for another 38 years before the Israelites could enter the Promised Land (Nu 13:34, Dt 2:14) – to purge those that disobeyed (Nu 14:22-34) and allow them to learn to depend and trust upon God. As noted above, God fulfilled the promise through Joshua and his conquests with help from the Lord (Js 24:13).

Therefore, it took over 5 centuries for God’s promise to Abraham to be fulfilled. It seems obvious that the people of Israel did not necessarily remember this promise as evident by their complaints or was just too self-absorbed about their own comfort and desires at the time, God did not forget, and the promise came to fruition.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Year of Prophecy: ©1977 BC (Covenant with Abraham – Gn 15)

Year of Fulfillment: 1952 BC (birth of Isaac – Gn 21:2)

Time until fulfillment: ~25 years

The promise of a son to Abraham is an example of fulfilled Biblical Prophecy. To show how the amount of time passing between prophecy and fulfillment doesn’t matter, we will cover ten of such prophecies. This is the first of ten.

Abraham was born as Abram in the land of Ur (Gn 11:27), which is in modern Iraq. Abraham had received a special call from God to leave his homeland (Gn 12:1). It is unknown why Abraham received such a call. However, the genealogical record in Genesis gives evidence that Noah may still have been alive during Abraham’s early years. Perhaps through his influence or other godly descendants of Noah, Abraham’s heart was softened to God’s direction and leadership. As is usually the case then as today, all around Abraham was ungodliness – even his own father worshipped idols (Js 24:2). God’s challenge to Abraham was to ‘step up to the plate’ and choose whom he was going to serve. Abraham chose wisely and reaped an everlasting benefit not only for himself but also for his descendants (Gn 17:7).

Abraham, as great as he was, was still human. As so many married couples do today, Abraham and Sarah desired a child. Not just a child, but one of their very own (Gen 15:2). Throughout history, being childless has often had a hurtful stigma to a Jewish couple. It was said that he who had no child was like one dead.  We don’t know exactly when the promise God made to Abraham that he would have a son occurred (Gn 15:4), but it was at least 10 years after they had reached Canaan that Sarah and Abraham began to compromise (Gn 16:3). Perhaps the reasoning went something like this: I believe what God said, but He stated that I would have a son from my own body, but he did not exactly state Sarah would be the mother, so perhaps it is okay to go with custom and have a son through my wife’s maidservant. It was God who instituted one man and one women to be together (Gn 2:24), so for what reason would God yield to man-made customs over His own declaration? Bottom line, man is weak. However, God did not give an exact date for Isaac’s birth until Ishmael, the son of Hagar (Sarah’s maidservant) and Abraham, was 13 years old (Gn 17:21) – one year after the establishment of the circumcision as the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, and the changing of Abram’s name to Abraham (Gn 17:5) and Sarai’s name to Sarah (Gn 17:15). Isaac was born at least 25 years after God’s first proclamation of the promise – a lifetime of wait for any couple, but just in time on God’s timetable. Isaac was born after the sign of God’s covenant to Abraham was established.

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It is not just the topic of time of which we are concerned, but the Bible’s perspective of time that is of consequence. In order to understand the topic of which someone is writing, it many times helps to understand something about the author as well.

All of the writers of both the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible were Jewish, with very few exceptions. It is believed that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon during the time of Daniel the prophet, wrote the fourth chapter of Daniel. While tradition has claimed that Luke, the physician who was a companion of the apostle Paul and who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, was a Gentile, there is probably more evidence which supports he was more likely a Jew. Therefore, most of the ideas and teachings would be from a Jewish perspective. The idea of time would be no exception.

A day is defined in the Bible, and by Jewish teaching, as “an evening and a morning” (Gn 1). Of course, this then begs the question of whether the days mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis are literal days. There are four main reasons to believe that they are literal days:

i) There is nothing to suggest that it was not a literal day. If we use Occam’s razor principle, i.e., the simplest solution tends to be the right one, then it is less complicated to see it as a literal day.

ii) This is how Moses, the believed author of Genesis, and other Jews throughout history defined “a day.”

iii) In Exodus 20:11 and 31:17, where the importance of the Sabbath is described, each passage states that the earth and heavens were created in six days and that God rested on the seventh. Since the emphasis in these two verses was on the seventh day of each of our weeks, if God rested on the seventh day and it was a literal day as implied here, then the other six days should be literal days.

iv) Since Moses was the author of both Genesis and Exodus, then if he taught in Exodus that these were literal days, then he probably meant them to be literal days in Genesis as well.

Why is it important to understand this? Paul stated that the Jews were entrusted with the words of God (Ro 3:2); therefore, it is important to understand the Jewish perspective of life and time. It is unclear why God chose the Jews, but scripture is clear that God chose Abraham and made an everlasting covenant with him (Gn 15:17-21). Somehow, God made an impression on Abraham. It is possible that Noah was still alive in Abraham’s early years [then known as Abram (Gn 11:27)] and had an influence on him.  God’s covenant to Abraham was not only for Abraham but for his descendants through the line of Isaac (Gn 17:19) and Jacob (Gn 28:13-15; 35:9-13). This covenant included promises of blessings, having a great name, becoming a great nation, and being a blessing to others and the whole world (Gn 12:1-4). Abraham believed in the Lord and it was credited to him as righteousness (Gn 15:6). Because the covenant was everlasting and unconditional (Gn 15:17), its fulfillment was entirely in God’s hands and not in the hands of Abraham, or his descendants, the Israelites. Although they would reap consequences of their actions (Lv 26; Dt 28), God has promised to keep his part of the covenant regardless of their actions (Jr 31:36) because He is faithful (Dt 7:9). All through history, even through judgments of captivity and sword, God has, and will, ensure that a remnant remains (Is 10:22, Jr 23:3).

Because of this relationship with the Jewish people which God initiated, it is important to understand the hows and whys of His interactions with them. It was God who initiated the Jewish calendar (Ex 12:2), often referred to as the Mosaic calendar, and the festivals to which the Israelites were to follow (Lv 23). The calendar we have today, known as the Gregorian calendar, was devised by an Italian doctor named Aloysius Lilius and adopted by Pope Gregory in 1582. Prior to this was the Julian calendar, issued by Julius Caesar in 45 AD, which had a year as 365 days and added an additional day every 4 years making a year being 365.25 days. The true value is 365.242 days for the length of the earth’s orbit around the sun. This little error of 0.008 days per year had added up to almost 10 full days by 1582 and was making the first day of spring very close to the beginning of summer. The Gregorian calendar skips the leap years in 3 out of every 4 century years which makes each year 365.2425 days and keeps the spring equinox on either March 20 or 21 of each year. These calendars are based upon the sun as its reference point whereas the calendar instituted by God in the Bible is a lunisolar calendar which uses the moon as its reference for seasons (Ps 104:19). A lunisolar calendar is probably more apt for an agrarian society which is highly dependent upon knowing the stars and ends of seasons (and the reason it was used up to the Roman era), but as we have evolved to more of a financially-dependent society, the Gregorian calendar has become more useful. Although God referred to the months of the calendar as numerals, over time and due to influence of surrounding nations (Dt 16:1, 1Ki 6:1, 37; 8:2) and Babylonian captivity (Er 6:15; Ne 2:1, 6:15; Es 2:16, 3:7, 8:9; Zc 1:7, 7:1), names used by other nations were sometimes used. Often, they would cross-reference them to the Mosaic calendar (e.g., Es 8:9).

The timeline in the Bible is always related to the Jews. Although Gentile nations are described, events are always presented from the Jewish perspective. A few examples are the timeline for the Egyptian bondage (Gn 15:13), the Babylonian captivity (Jr 25:11), and the death of Messiah (Dn 9:26). These types of timelines are not provided for Gentile events. Prior to the Church Age (Ac 2), Gentiles were the minor component of God’s salvation plan, whereas during the Church Age (modern times), Gentiles are the major component of God’s salvation plan. Therefore, the time of the rapture is not provided. Yet, as we have stated in other posts, even the Rapture is from a Jewish wedding perspective. After the rapture of the Church, God’s timeline for the Jews will again be started (Dn 9:27).

Time and prophecy are interrelated, but are they intricately connected? A prophet’s message was considered from God if the prophet’s words came true (Dt 18:21-22). However, no timeframe is specified. How do we know all the prophecies in the Bible are literal and true? One is the belief that the Bible is God’s word (2Tm 3:16). Another is to see what has already come true and see if that gives enough credence to the validity of other prophecies. Future posts will give some examples to consider.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The Bible clearly teaches that time, at least as humans know it, began (Gen 1:1) and has an end (Rev 21:5-6). Did God create time? Is He part of time? Stephen Hawking, probably one of the most noted physicists of our time with a large interest in cosmology, has stated that there was no set moment when the universe began because there was no precise moment when time began – the universe did not begin “in” time but came into being with the universe.  While Hawking used his theory to demonstrate, at least in his own thinking, that there is no need to believe in God, this type of model actually supports early views about God and time. Theologians like Augustine and Aquinas believed and taught that God created time and existed outside of time which made God timeless and atemporal.  Other theologians like Boethius, Stump, and Kretzmann agree to God’s timelessness but that He is temporal in that He experiences events in succession but has done so for all moments in the past and will continue to do so for all moments in the future. Therefore, both camps agree to His eternality but not how He is timeless. Then there are those even more recently, like Padgett and DeWeese, who claim God is in time but a different type of time than humans experience, and Craig who argues that God was timeless prior to creation but entered time when he created the universe. These ideas seem to create two main views of time: the A-theorists who hold the idea that time passes and is a succession of events; and the B-theorists who hold the idea that space-time is viewed as a static 4-dimensional reality, i.e., that the past, present, and future all co-exist simultaneously.  Even science does not seem to be unanimous in its view of time: Quantum Theory supports the A-theorists’ view of time while Einstein’s Theory of Relativity supports the B-theorists’ view of time.

It is possible that both groups are correct. Ever since Einstein’s revolutionary theory in 1905 that light does not always travel as a wave as part of the electromagnetic spectrum but also as tiny particles called photons, the field of physics today has accepted these two aspects of light. Previously, scientists built camps on one side or the other. Einstein proved what previous scientists had not: light exists as waves and particles simultaneously. Therefore, since time and light are intricately associated, as Einstein also showed in his theory of relativity, then it would not be inconceivable that time could also behave in two differently perceived aspects.

I feel that all three camps (A-theory, B-theory and some combination of the two), by being so dogmatic in their views, have limited some of the characteristics of God that the Bible attributes to Him. We must be careful in how we reason. We cannot always reason how God works with human understanding (Is 55:8-9). Our basis should be what the Bible states, not if and how we can reason what the Bible states. If God was timeless and then created time for mankind, it is conceivable that He can still remain outside of the time He created. Why would the Bible’s claim to God’s omnipresence (Ps 139:7-10) be limited to physical places? Why can it not also apply to time? If God is God, can He not exist in time and outside of time simultaneously? God’s “interaction” with mankind would then be perceived as a “before” and “after” event for us (A-theorists time) but not outside of our time where the past, present, and future time coexist (B-theorists time). The Bible states that God does not change (Hb 13:8). This is implying that His character never changes; however, the way in which He interacts with mankind has changed several times over the centuries.

I do not feel it is not the act of creation that should begin the debate of whether God is or is not in time as we know it, but the act of his human birth. Creation created a cause and effect that impacted mankind, but not necessarily God. However, Christ coming to the earth in human form created a cause and effect, a before and after experience, for both humanity and the Godhead. Before Christ came to earth He was also Spirit since he was one with the Father (Jn 4:24; 8:58). Being born, He became the God-Man that was required to meet the demands of a redeemer. However, since his death and resurrection, He has remained the God-Man (1Tm 2:5). Since Christ as the God-Man is currently with the Father (Hb 1:3), there would seem to be a “before” and “after” that was created even outside our realm of time, regardless which type of time one subscribes to believing. Therefore, it seems fairly easy to rationalize that God is outside of our time (i.e., a creator can be outside the elements of which he creates: in this case, time itself), but the question remains: is He in a different type of time, and if so, is it linear or simultaneous for Him?

Whether God is or not inside of time, it seems evident that God exists differently than mankind (2Pt 3:8). Is this type of debate even worth pursuing? More than just a mental exercise, if taken seriously, it should broaden both our understanding and awe of who God is. What is the application? Paul told the Ephesians to “redeem the time” (Ep 5:16). To what was Paul referring and what understanding about time helps us to do this?

One of the definitions of the word redeem is “to convert into something of value.” This is likely the meaning Paul was considering in Ephesians 5:16 when he talked of redeeming the time. We all have the same amount of time; it is how we use it that counts. Into what are we converting our time? Before we can do that effectively, we need to have a good understanding of what time has been created for and what it has revealed to date in order to know how to maximally utilize it for our future.

Let’s delve into that next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

What does one struggle to obtain more of, can never have more than anyone else, and if lost, can never recover? Time. It governs our very existence. It flows ever forward with events occurring in a linear fashion one after another. As much as one would like to “re-do” an event, the best one can do is to apologize, make amends, ignore or recover and go on. Perhaps one reason that science fiction is so popular is because time becomes a commodity over which man has control rather than time controlling man. Man likes to be in control and feel that his destiny is within his domain. When one focuses on time, it makes one realize that they are not necessarily in control of their ultimate destiny (Jb 1:21) and there may be conditions under which they must live (Pr 12:28). Was that why time was created? Is time another method God uses to focus on His glory? Will it be one of the elements of nature that God will use to hold man accountable for his decisions (Ro 1:20)? As one gets older, one realizes that life is indeed short; it is a vapor that quickly vanishes (Ja 4:14). Therefore, one needs to understand how time can be redeemed (Ep 5:16) and what that means for an individual. What is time anyway? It is a subject of philosophers and scientists. To the former it is a subject to elicit emotion; to the latter, an enigma to the understanding of the universe. We move forward in it – whether willingly or unwillingly.

To a physicist, however, time does not advance forever forward. In order to make the universe make sense and to rationalize how all is put together, time is not only a continuous variable but can also go forward and/or backward. Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2, states that energy equates to the mass of an object times the speed of light squared. This became part of his theory of relativity and stated that the speed of light is a universal constant, meaning that no one could exceed that speed, i.e., approximately 186,000 miles per second.  To enable someone to go back in time, one would have to travel faster than the speed of light. This was captured in a popular limerick:

There was a young lady named Bright,

Whose speed was far faster than light.

She set out one day,

In a relative way,

And returned on the previous night!

A.H. Reginald Buller

However, it is argued that as a mass increases its speed, its mass, but not its size, actually increases. Therefore, the velocity has to increase due to the increase in mass. Taken to its limit, the mass increases to infinity and the velocity never reaches the speed of light. Buller also captured this thought in another limerick:

To her friends said the Bright one in chatter,

“I have learned something new about matter:

My speed was so great,

Much increased was my weight,

Yet I failed to become any fatter!”

A.H. Reginald Buller

Some have touted to have broken this barrier, although there are still skeptics. In these experiments, if time appeared to have gone backward, it was only by billionths of a second – not enough to convey the idea of “time travel.” Although these experiments are not proof of time travel, others believe that these results support the probability of being able to travel faster than the speed of light by altering spacetime around an object, similarly to what is well-known by Star Trek enthusiasts as “warp drive.” At least for now, it seems that we can potentially get somewhere even faster than we can today, but not get there before we left. We are currently limited to time in one direction.

In our next post, we’ll see what God says about time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Once God’s Promised Kingdom, the Millennium is over, a new Jubilee is established. God creates anew. The earth is cleansed by fire (2Pt 3:10) and reformed. There is no longer a sea (Rv 21:1). This new earth is different from the old version. There is no longer a curse (Rv 22:3). Heaven comes to earth.

This time of earth’s future history has been compared to the Jubilee which God instituted with Israel.  It was a time when everything started anew. All debts were cancelled, all land returned to its original owner, and all slaves were freed (Lv 25). This was a time of great rejoicing. A lot can happen in fifty years. People can get into trouble, get financially bankrupt, and have to do whatever it takes to survive. God knew that. Therefore, he proclaimed Jubilee as a time of renewal, a time to start over. That is what this is for the earth. It is back to the beginning, back to the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden – before it all happened, before sin crept in and destroyed perfection. And that is what is presented here, the Garden of Eden reborn, but much better. Perfection reestablished.

There are two groups who enter into this Eternal State:

1.           Those who were resurrected or transformed at the Rapture, or resurrected just prior to Christ’s reign (and who had been serving/ruling with Christ during the Millennium). They will continue to serve/rule with Christ throughout eternity.

2.           Those who accepted Christ as Savior during the Millennium. Because the Bible does not indicate there is another resurrection, or another transformation, and the Bible does state that the Tree of Life will be used by the nations (Rv 22:2), it is likely these individuals will not be transformed into a body like Christ. It is more likely they will possess a body like Adam and Eve had at the beginning in the Garden of Eden but without a sin nature or the propensity to sin. They will eat of the Tree of Life and drink of the River of Life to sustain their eternal state. They may be able to have children since Adam and Eve were able to have children. These are probably those who are identified as “nations” (Rv 21-22).

Overpopulation will likely not be a problem. The earth could be larger than it is now. There will be less bodies of water. There could be up to eight times the present land mass because there will be no more sea. Also, the whole universe could be opened up for use and expansion of people. With God all things are possible.

Does this get you excited? I sure hope so, because this is the eternal hope we have when we trust in Christ as our Savior. Isn’t that what everyone wants: no more hardship, true peace, no more want, and freedom to live joyously? It can be your future, too. All it takes is a little faith and placing it in the one who can make it all happen. Jesus Christ has an extended hand waiting. Take it.

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Before we talk and contract Jews and Gentiles in the future, we need to understand some of the differences in futuristic views held by many. The next era following our present time on this earth has been termed the Tribulation Period. There are four main world views of apocalyptic literature, like the book of Revelation, and then there are three main theological views of the future concerning the Millennium (or the earthly reign of Christ), although there are minor variations of these as well.

There are some who view the content of Revelation strictly from a historical perspective: all, or most, of the prophecies in the book have been completely fulfilled in the past. Proponents of this tenant believe all the descriptions in Revelation are referring to the downfall of the Roman Empire during and after the time of the apostle John, the book’s author.

Others are known as preterists and also believe that all, or most, of the prophecies in Revelation have occurred in the past but that they were prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem. Therefore, all the prophecies had to be fulfilled by the end of 70 AD.

Then, there are others who believe the majority of the prophecies within the book of Revelation should be interpreted more from an allegorical perspective. The prophecies and visions which John wrote about were not literal but communicate a moral or theological lesson about God and how he works in the lives of Christians and non-Christians in all phases of earth’s history. This is what makes the book relevant for each and every person no matter in which period of earth’s history they live.

The fourth category is known as the futurist view. People with this view believe that all the events from chapter four onward are in the future, describe events that will occur after the Rapture of the Church and during the Tribulation and Great Tribulation Periods, and beyond. The prophecies and visions the apostle John saw and spoke about are to be taken literally as much as possible, except where it is evident that the apostle is speaking metaphorically. For example, when John states that Satan was bound in the Abyss for one-thousand years with chains so he could not escape, the futurists’ view is that the removal of Satan from the earth for one-thousand years would be literal but the chain would be metaphorical in that God will prevent Satan from being released. He is chained in the sense he cannot escape but not in the sense that God was using a physical chain that would restrain him for this prescribed period of earth’s history. Or, at least, this is not literal in our view of a chain as we know that could not hold a spiritual being; yet, God was using something which John interpreted as a chain or the concept of such.

There are three major views of the one-thousand-year reign of Christ on earth in the future, known as the Millennium: Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism. The reason for the Millennium determines one’s main view of its importance and if it will be literal and actually occur. I believe the Premillennial viewpoint is the more accurate one for the following three reasons:

1. The Premillennial view allows the Bible to be broken into dispensations or periods of time where God deals with mankind for a specific purpose. Most of these dispensations have been about Israel as prophesied by the Feasts of Israel; yet, only four of these feasts have been fulfilled (Pesach or Passover – death of Christ; Matzah or Feast of Unleavened Bread – Christ’s sinless death and burial; Feast of Bikkurim or First Fruits – Christ’s resurrection; Shavuot or Pentacost – Holy Spirit uniting all believers, both Jew and Gentile, into his fold).  Since the current age is about God bringing Gentiles into his fold, there must be a time when He works with Israel as a nation again to fulfill the remaining feasts (Rosh Hashanah or Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement, and Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles).  The Tribulation is a time when He can begin doing that once all current Christians have been taken out of the picture. God can then remember his covenant, which is the theme of the original Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets): to ask God to remember His covenant with Israel. These points would speak against the view of Amillennialism which does not even believe in the existence of a Millennium or in a special period of time that is any different from the current time in which one lives.

2. The Rapture is an event that allows all current Christians to be removed from the earth to allow God to focus on Israel, as well as the remaining Gentiles on earth. This event also fits well into an analogy of a Jewish bridegroom coming for his bride: she did not know when he was coming so she had to be prepared at all times; he went to where she was and brought her back to his home. A shout or call (e.g. by shofar) would be made to alert the bride and her attendants (SS 3:11). Christ’s church has been equated to, or alluded to, the bride of Christ who has been set apart for Him (2Co 11:2, Ep 5:22-23; Hb 10:10; Ja 4:4; Rv 19:14). These points would speak against both Amillennialism and Postmillennialism as both do not believe in a Rapture or not one that occurs before the Tribulation starts. If the Tribulation is about God remembering His covenant with Israel, then the Rapture could not occur after the Tribulation begins.

3. Because Satan took the world from mankind and is currently the ruler of it (Mt 4:8-9), Christ must take the current world back, re-establish his theocratic kingdom and reverse the curse that resulted from Adam’s rebellion so Christ can show He alone is sovereign. Therefore, the Millennium is a key period of future history that must occur. This point would also speak against Amillennialism since a literal Millennium would be necessary to prove Christ’s sovereignty over Satan. It also speaks against Postmillennialism as it would be necessary for Christ to reign on the earth with its curse removed to prove His sovereignty.

The time in which everyone currently lives will continue until the full number of Gentiles have accepted Christ as their Savior (Ro 11:25). That time will end at what is known as the Rapture or being “caught up” where believers receive a glorified body (Jn 14:1-3; 1Co 15:51-53; Pp 3:20-21; 1Th 4:17; 1Jn 3:1-2). This will occur before the Antichrist appears and the Tribulation Period begins (2Th 2:2-3). It appears the time shortly before the Antichrist comes on the scene will be marked by teachers teaching false doctrine that will lead many astray (2Pt 2:1-3); however, it seems that the beginning of false teachings will occur even prior to the Rapture – even in the present day (Ju 1:4). These “teachers” will have no scruples (Ju 1:8), and their ungodly acts will only escalate after the Rapture and prior to Christ’s second coming (Ju 1:15). Any of these peddlers of false information could be labeled “antichrist” (1Jn 2:22; 2Jn 1:7) because their teachings are against Christ. However, scriptures indicate that there will be one individual who will culminate the spirit of deceit and lead the world in rebellion against God (2Th 2:9-10; 1Jn 2:18). Once the Rapture occurs, there will no longer be any Christians on the earth for a time. Even the restraint of the Holy Spirit will be removed (2Th 2:7).

These events sets Israel up for God to work with them as a nation again and for every nation to be evangelized and make a final decision of their relationship with Christ. You don’t have to wait to do that. You can do that now. Have you? Do you want to? Just talk to him. He’s waiting – always waiting – just for you.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The Bible is well known as a book containing much prophecy. Usually, the focus is on Israel and what God says about Israel: its past, present, and future. Most of the book was written by Israeli and Jewish authors and many times requires a look at things from a Jewish perspective. And rightly so, since it was the Jews who were entrusted to bring forth the very words of God (Ro 3:2). However, these Jewish authors did not just write about themselves, but God also led them to also write about Gentiles. Therefore, just as God had a plan for Israel, and still does today and into the future, so He has a plan for Gentiles. This must be understood in the light that there is a link between Israel and Gentiles, as both of their futures are linked together. God has a timeline for the world, and it is a Jewish timeline. Everything must be observed from a Jewish perspective, not only because the authors of the Bible were Jewish but because God has set it up that way.

Israel is on a timeline that has been preset. God told Abraham when his descendants would be given the land of Canaan (Gn 15:13-14), God gave Jeremiah the timeline for how long Judah would be in Babylonian captivity (Jr 25:11-12), God gave Daniel the timeline for when Israel’s Messiah was to come (Dn 9:25), God also gave Daniel the timeline for when God would work with Israel in the future (Dn 9:27), and God gave the apostle John the timeline for how long their long awaited Messiah would reign on David’s throne among them (Rv 20:4). Into this timeline God has placed the Gentiles and his plan for them, but this cannot be looked at without Israel being in the picture. God even gave us details about the present age. God had provided to Daniel a “gap” in the timeline He was providing about Israel (Dn 9:26), which the apostle Paul later revealed was the Age of Gentiles (Ro 11:25). It seems that this “gap” has no defined period of time as Paul stated it would end when this period of time had reached its “fullness” (Ro 11:25). Because the present period of earth’s history is focused on Gentiles and not on Israel, the timeline is suspended until the Rapture of the church occurs. At that point in time, the Jewish timeline will pick back up and what has been termed “the seventieth week of Daniel” will then continue as prescribed and described in scripture.

The definition of “Gentile” has morphed somewhat over time as God has dealt with mankind and with the nation of Israel. These discrete packets of time have been labeled “dispensations” where God’s plan has not changed but the degree of the revelation of Himself to mankind has expanded over time. The table below presents these dispensations in relation to how the definition of Gentile has evolved over and during these dispensations.

It has been observed that God has worked with Gentiles in each of these dispensational periods and has not left them out of His care, His interest, as well as His justice. God always gave warnings before His justice was administered. Before the flood, God announced coming judgment and the need for repentance (Ju 1:14-15) and announced a flood was coming during the time of Noah (Gn 6:3). He gave the Amorites time to repent before administering his justice (Gn 15:16). God announced his plans to the king of Nineveh (Jh 3:4-5), to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Dn 2), to Cyrus, king of Medo-Persia (Is 45:1-13), gave visions to Alexander the Great, and had Paul give the gospel to Caesar’s household (Pp 4:22) during the time of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, it seems that most of these did not heed his warning.

Yet, God was still glorified among the Gentile nations. The king of Nineveh did respond to Jonah’s preaching (Jh 3:5) and gave Nineveh another one-hundred years before it was finally destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar did finally recognize the authority of God (Dn 4:37), and several times did announce to his entire kingdom that the One True God was to be respected (Dn 2:47; 3:28-29). Several of the kings of Persia did the same (Dn 6:26; Er 1:1-2), and many of Caesar’s household in Rome accepted Christ as their Savior (Pp 4:22).

Over the millennia, God has used the Gentile nations to administer justice to Israel because of their disobedience and to get them to repent. Yet, God has always held these same Gentile nations accountable for their treatment of His chosen people, Israel. This helps us to see that Israel and Gentile nations have always been uniquely linked. The timeline that God had established for Israel also affects the Gentile nations.

Although not clearly seen in the Old Testament prophecies, God had a plan for Gentiles in His future kingdom as well. This was likely not truly understood by these Old Testament prophets who prophesied that Gentiles would accept the coming Messiah (Is 56:6-7; Ho 2:23; Ro 9:25) and would even help to rebuild Jerusalem in the future (Is 60:10). It became clear in the New Testament at the first Pentecost (Shavuot) after Christ’s resurrection and ascension how this would come about. God had a plan for both Jews and Gentiles to become part of His flock. These individuals would become the Church, His Bride, while Israel as a nation was put aside for a time (Ro 11:25).

God does not forget His chosen people indefinitely. When the Age of Gentiles reaches its “fullness,” God takes His Bride, the Church, to be with Him and then concentrates His attention back on the nation of Israel. God “remembers” His covenant. Although Satan works through the Antichrist, this does not thwart God’s plan. God actually uses the persecution that the Antichrist inflicts upon those of Israeli and Jewish descent to bring His people back to their homeland (Is 11:11-12; Jr 16:14-15). They come back in great numbers. Most of the Gentile nations are under the influence and sway of the Antichrist; however, God does not leave the Gentiles out of His final plan. God raises up one hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish evangelists who preach not only to their own people but to the Gentiles as well and many Gentiles also accept Christ as their Savior (Rv 7:9). God’s mercy knows no limits – and neither does His justice.

Christ comes to the aid of His people just before the Antichrist completely wipes them out of existence (Zc 14:2-3). None of the Antichrist’s forces can withstand Christ, and all of Israel’s enemies are wiped out of existence (Zc 14:12-13). God then puts Satan into the Abyss for one-thousand years and ushers in the long-awaited time of His Millennial reign where He sits on David’s throne and rules the earth from Jerusalem (Rv 20:3-4). Although Israel leads the world in the worship of God during this time (Is 61:6), it is the Gentiles that form the many nations who live their lives in a state of peace and follow Israel in their worship of their King (Is 2:3). Those born during this time will have to make a personal decision of faith, and, unfortunately, there will be many who will not (Is 11:4; 65:20). When Satan is released from his imprisonment at the end of the Millennium, those who refused to accept Christ as their Savior will follow him and try to overthrow Jerusalem and Christ’s rule. They will try in vain to set Satan up as the world ruler. God does not allow this and annihilates them all (Rv 20:9). This was not done earlier because Christ had to bring the world back to a non-cursed state to show that He is sovereign and is indeed the rightful ruler of the earth.

Both righteous Jews and righteous Gentiles enter the Eternal State on a newly created heaven and earth (Rv 21:1). Not only does Jesus Christ dwell with them on this new earth but so does the entire Trinity (Rv 21:3). God is now truly with His people. The Gentiles again make up the nations of the earth and they will continuously bring their glory and honor to God on a continuous basis (Rv 21:24). Many have wondered whether all of this could really be true. However, Jesus Christ who is “Faithful and True” (Rv 19:11) assures us “these sayings are faithful and true” (Rv 22:6); therefore, all Christ has spoken cannot possibly fail. All one can do is repeat with John, “Even so come, Lord Jesus” (Rv 22:20).

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We have now come to the final step of God’s plan, His Eternal State: True Heaven. We don’t have a lot of detail, but we have some glimpses of what life will be like. Let’s explore.

Knowing that the layout of the tabernacle was a pattern of what was in Heaven (Ex 25:9; Hb 8:5), and knowing that God has made many statements that Israel will be his people forever and be his witnesses to the world, it is likely that Israel will be surrounding the city of Jerusalem as they did when the tabernacle was first erected since God now dwells in the new Jerusalem. Also, there will be three gates on each side of the wall with a name of a tribe on each gate (Rv 21:12) – just like it stated in the Old Testament that three tribes camped on each side of the tabernacle (Nu 2). Again, it is likely that Israel will lead the nations in the worship of God (Is 43:10, 21).

As far as activities, the Bible does not have a lot to say on this subject. However, knowing that the intent is to return to a more Edenic state (however, it will be so much more), one can use that as a reference. The original intent for Adam and Eve was to have them have dominion over all the earth and to subdue it, and to “work it” and “to take care of it” (Gn 2:15). These words and concepts would imply exploration, production, guarding, and observing. Therefore, as then, one will learn about God: His attributes and His creation. All that one does will be to bring glory to God: everyone will explore His creation, learn more about God and recognize, acknowledge, and proclaim His attributes. This would be one fulfillment of Revelation 21:24, 26: “And the nations [peoples] of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it... and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.”

Dr. Herman A. Hoyt, who graduated from Ashland Theological Seminary with highest honors and who later served as academic dean of Grace Theological Seminary for fourteen years (1948-1962) and then as its president for the next fifteen years (1962-1976), summarizes what life in the Eternal State will be like:

“Will the redeemed sink into a state of ineffable bliss marked by release from exertion and hardship on the one hand, but filled with enjoyment and idleness on the other? The answer to this seems to be a positive no. And even though there is little information in the Scriptures on this point, it is sufficient to draw a picture of wonder and attractiveness with which to excite anticipation for this glorious future.”

He goes on to provide these descriptions:

• the attitude of worship will permeate every aspect of activity and employment

• research will enter every area of creation and will reach beyond the wildest imagination of men

• the kings, that is, those in administrative authority over the nations, will bring the results of their accomplishments to the city as an offering of praise to the King of kings

• the perfect administration of the universe will at last be achieved through grace

• at last, redeemed mankind will have reached that place of purity and perfection in a land of life, light and love where the deepest desires of the human heart will be satisfied.

In addition, Dr. Robert Congdon, a noted international Bible teacher, conference speaker, author, and radio commentator on subjects related to Biblical prophecy and world events states the following:

“Unlike most scientists and writers of today, redeemed individuals of the new earth will delight in giving glory to God as they explore His creation, and through it learn more about Him. God’s attributes will be recognized, acknowledged, and proclaimed. For example: As one saint goes forth in the universe and studies some aspect of a planet that is unreachable today, he will discover a new aspect of God’s greatness. Immediately he will return to tell others of God’s glory. Another, searching the microscopic world, will see God’s infinite details and call others to see God’s greatness. This will be the fulfillment of several of David’s psalms: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork’ (Ps 19:1), and ‘the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself’ (Ps 5-6).”

It seems that everyone during this time is going to be exploring further all of the things God knows that human beings do not. It is going to be a scientists’ wonderland!

Because of the large number of people, there will be the need for a lot of administration. Here are some of the groups and their likely responsibilities based upon what scripture has revealed about them:

• The Bride (New Testament Saints, i.e., the Church): assists in the administration and offers eternal testimony to God’s attributes of grace and love (Rv 2:26-27; 3:21; 20:6)

• The Resurrected Saints (Old Testament and Tribulation): friends and attendants of the Bridegroom (Mt 25:1, 10). They will rule over Israel and the nations.

• Israel: head of the nations and being God’s witnesses helping the nations worship the Lord (Is 61:6-11, 66:22; Dn 7:27).

• Kings and Nations: Administered by kings, the nations will carry on activity and production throughout eternity and bring the glory and honor that they find in their daily tasks and discoveries back to God for display when they visit the New Jerusalem (Rv 21:24).

This is only a peek of what things will be like. While everything can’t be directly supported by direct scripture references, many of these inferences are similar to the scenarios that have been provided above and give at least a glimpse of what true heaven may be like. Perhaps more was not provided because either mankind is not able to understand it or it is too wonderful to even describe. I’m reminded of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey where the question was asked, “What’s going to happen?” The simple response was, “Something wonderful.” Well, that’s what’s going to happen here: something wonderful. Do you plan on being around to experience it? I trust you will. Come with me to visit Something Wonderful.

Quotes in this post came from the following:

Hoyt, Herman A. The End Times. Chicago: Moody Press, 1969.

Congdon, Robert R. Living in the New Heaven and Earth. Sixteenth Annual Pre-Trib Study Group: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX, 2007.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Once God’s Promised Kingdom, the Millennium is over, out of heaven descends the New Jerusalem. This city is magnificent. It is like a giant crystal which descends to the earth. It has a wall with twelve gates, each of a single pearl, and twelve foundations, each of a precious stone. Its main street is of pure gold, translucent and reflective, as well as is the city itself (Rv 21:15-21). It is fifteen hundred miles square.

It is likely that the city is described as being square because the Holy of Holies has always been square (1Ki 6:20; 2Ch 3:8; Ek 41:4). Since the tabernacle and temple were replicas of heavenly things (Hb 8:5), this is where God dwells. Some believe it may also be pyramid in shape. Or the city could be on top of the jeweled foundations that are pyramid in shape. In either case, God will rule from the highest place on the earth (Is 2:2-3; Jl 3:17). This may be why Satan had the tower of Babel originally built because this was his first attempt to be like the Most High (Is 14:14). It may also be why Babylon had the hanging gardens to try to replicate what God is going to have here in this new world capital. Atop of this magnificent city is God’s throne. From this flows the River of Life reflecting the glory of God through all the light of the precious stones, as well as in that of the golden street and city. One can view this magnificent city from thousands of miles away. The light given off by the Shekinah glory of God will reflect off, and refract through, these crystalline materials making the whole city sparkle and very likely will produce many colors as the light is refracted. It is going to be absolutely spectacular. Truly, “…eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1Co 2:9).

This New Jerusalem will be on the new earth. Although the new earth could be a lot bigger than ours today, one can use the dimensions given in Revelation and the size of the earth today to better understand the enormity of the city. If Jerusalem is the center of the city and the city is almost fifteen hundred miles square, then, based upon today’s earth, the city would stretch from the top of Turkey to below the bottom of Egypt and from the eastern border of Iraq to the eastern border of Greece. If this structure was placed inside the continental United States, it would cover almost two-thirds of the country. By anyone’s standard, that is big! From the dimensions given, one can also get an idea as to how far away the city may be seen. If one takes into account the height of the city and how far away the unobstructed horizon would be, one could start to see it from as far away as the southern tip of Africa to the middle of Alaska; from Greenland to Indonesia. If God’s Shekinah glory that will be shinning from the center and at the top of the city is taken into account, the glow could be extend much further.

The Bible states that this city will have walls that are almost two hundred feet high (some translations state thick) and composed of jasper (Rv 21:17-18). The exact name of these gems may not be known or translated to what they are known as today. However, the Bible states that this stone is clear as crystal. This would provide a bright glow outside the city. Therefore, some interpret that the walls are very thick and as high as the city itself, while others state that the wall is two hundred feet high but that the tallest point in the city, i.e., where God’s throne will be, is fifteen hundred miles high. Either way, it will be totally magnificent.

Excited? Our future in Christ will be absolutely wonderful. It will truly blow our minds. Get yourself ready!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Unfortunately, life in the Millennium will also have a sad side. Hard to believe, but there will be many born who grow up and refuse to put their faith in their King. They will think Him cruel because they can’t do as they please.

A thousand years is a long time, but it is still a finite time. It will one day come to an end. It will be both exciting and solemn. Exciting because even better things await. Also, somber, because Satan will be released into the world again (Rv 20:7-8).

When Satan is released, he will likely be headquartered back in Babylon (Mi 5:5-6), back where his initial plan for world domination began with Nimrod (Gn 10:8-12, 11:1-9). Over time, it will look like he is becoming very successful. He will accumulate hundreds of thousands of individuals from all the nations (Rv 20:8). As he does today, Satan once again appeals to mankind’s vanity and human nature, and they believe a lie (Ro 1:25). Satan takes their pride and seals it with his own.

It is possible that this phase of Satan’s recruitment will go on for several years, due to the number of recruits he finally manages to obtain. More than likely, he will go to many of the towns throughout the world and tell lies, or likely twisted half-truths, against the Messiah. This continues until, as scriptures state, the number following Satan could no longer be numbered (Rv 20:8).

However, the King will not be entirely complacent, and true to His character, will make a final plea to all those who follow Satan. The King sends out leaders throughout the nations to rally His people to evangelize and to take back as much territory as possible (Mi 5:5-15). They find the Messiah’s name is a force unequal to any weapon. No one will be able stand against it; however, each person still holds the key to their own heart. Not resisting and surrendering are two different things. Control of Satan’s homeland, Assyria, will be taken (Mi 5:6). It is likely that some of this effort will be fruitful, but in the end, this culminates with Satan gathering many thousands of his people to march against Jerusalem and attempt to take the city (Mi 5:6; Rv 20:9). They march against Jerusalem thinking they can overtake the city, but in one swoop they are gone: fire comes down from the sky and destroys them all (Rv 20:9). God kills them, but their pride had already consumed them long before. Pride started it all (Is 14:13) and pride will end it all (Rv 20:9). Satan is cast into the lake of fire (Rv 20:10).

It is no wonder that scripture states Christ will wipe away every tear (Rv 21:4). All these people who have remained faithful to Christ have gone through a lot of heartache. Many tears will be shed, and many hearts will be broken due to loved ones turning their backs to their beloved King. However, heartache will soon turn to ultimate joy.

One further solemn duty must be performed. This is known as the Great White Throne judgment (Rv 20:11). Everyone, from the dawn of time, who never placed their faith in the Messiah, the Promised One, Jesus Christ, the Eternal King, are brought before Him. Where this takes place is a mystery because even the earth and sky cannot stand before a holy God (Rv 20:11). Books are opened as well as the Book of Life (Rv 20:12). It seems, because they did not trust in Christ as the Hope for their future and the payment he made for their sins, each person is judged by their deeds as recorded in these books. Yet, the final element is whether their name is recorded in the Book of Life. If not in the Book of Life, they will pass into the Lake of Fire and be forever where Satan was cast. Since their alliance was with him in this life, they will be with him forever in the next. There is nothing from this passage in Revelation which indicates any were not sentenced to an eternity in the Lake of Fire. If their names were in the Book of Life, they would have been part of the first resurrection (Rv 20:5-6). Here, it seems the Book of Life was opened to prove they were unworthy to enter eternity with Christ.

So, the final reward for pride is revealed. Pride caused Satan to fall from a very special place where he was before God always – a place of great honor (Ek 28:14). However, pride caused him to feel he could become just like God (Is 14:14). This was a very great defiance as God has declared Himself holy (Lv 11:44; 1Pt 1:15), that is, he is unique and there is none like him. Lucifer, disagreed, fell, and became the Adversary, Satan, the devil. Now he is forever separated from the very one he was created to be before.

We today, still have the opportunity to change our destiny. Which will you choose? The choice is yours. Choose wisely. You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll walk into the arms of love which will never let you go – neither in this life or the next.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Life in the Millennium will be utopian. The curse on the earth will be removed (Is 51:3). All plant life flourishes and there will no longer be weeds or pests. The great earthquake when Christ returned causes the Euphrates River to empty into the Jordan, bringing a constant flow of fresh water over the landscape. There is also a river which flows from beneath the temple in Jerusalem into the Dead Sea and into the Mediterranean Sea. The Dead Sea is no longer dead but teams with life as many fish now thrive there and much vegetation grows along its coast (Ek 47:7-10). People will live to be very old in age and children will be playing everywhere (Zc 8:4-5). There will not be any animosity between animals: the lion will be next to the lamb; the child will play next to the snake’s home and harm will come to neither (Is 11:6-9). There will not be any want. While these scriptures focus on Israel, it would seem reasonable that these Edenic-type of conditions would exist over the entire earth. Therefore, all the Gentile nations will enjoy such wonderful living conditions as well.

Christ many times taught that more is given to those who do more (Mt 25:28-29). Therefore, during the Millennium there will likely be a rewards system for those more faithful to their tasks than others. However, this will not create the haves and have-nots and not create disunity. Because God does everything in an orderly fashion, Christ will have a just and equitable system for all to follow (1Co 14:33).

Life will continue much as it does today – with some exceptions, of course (Is 65:21-25). Those who returned with Christ and those resurrected just prior to His reign will likely be involved with overseeing what is rebuilt and restoring God’s order to the agriculture, atmosphere, and animal life. All elements of life will continue – but will be focused on the order that Jesus Christ establishes – those with glorified bodies will be part of overseeing all of these aspects of daily life (Rv 20:6). All of one’s skills, talents, and personality traits they possess in this current life will be used by Christ. People will still have need for clothes, houses, implements, etc. in order to carry out their day-to-day activities. However, there will not be power struggles, greed, monopolies, etc. as there are today. Things will be run under a more equitable system. Likely there will still be arts, theater, and music, but they will all be uplifting and giving praise back to God. Joy will abound (Is 12:4). People will still work, joke, laugh, have fun, and entertain. While there are those who suggest such things will be true in the Eternal State, it would seem logical that these same things would occur at this time in earth’s history as well. A big component of life during this time will be worship. Israel will be the one nation that will have the leadership role in this area. Israelites will be the ones most revered and respected throughout all the Gentile nations because of their place in the worship of the King (Is 11:10; Zc 8:23). How different now. Once, they were considered the dregs of society and the ones to stamp out. But now, everyone will want to know what they know and will follow them up to Jerusalem periodically for, hopefully, a face-to-face encounter with their King.

All of these will have close communion with Christ and those that are still in human flesh will want to know all that they can about their King. Those with glorified bodies are the ones who will help share that message about Him. They will be given administrative tasks (Dn 7:18, 22, 27; Ro 8:17; 1Co 6:2-3; 2Tm 2:12; Rv 2:26, 20:4-6). The Bible states that there will be Gentile nations on earth at this time and they will periodically go up to Jerusalem because there are still certain feasts which will be celebrated in Jerusalem (Zc 14:16). Therefore, the rulers and civil authorities of these nations will likely be those with glorified bodies. As judges and rulers, they will likely oversee the work needed to restore justice over every sphere of life and help establish the world government under Christ’s rule by helping to establish judges and governors, or actually being such. They will be able to know their King’s will and administer His wishes throughout the various nations. They will likely be the teachers of the people to help them understand who their King really is, what He has done, how to worship Him, and how to put their faith in Him and dwell with Him for eternity (Is 2:3, 66:18-20).

It will be an exciting time where those in their resurrected bodies will help lead and teach those still in human flesh about Jesus Christ, their King, who He is and how much He loves them. They will be excited to be able to see those born, grow up and decide to put their faith in the King as well. There will likely be many celebrations and Christ will likely welcome each new member of his spiritual kingdom as they come to Jerusalem for worship, as scripture teaches that those who accept Christ will be brought as an offering to Him (Is 66:20).

Does this get you excited about our future? I hope so. It does that for me!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Life in the Millennium will be ideal for those of Israel. Individuals belonging to Israel will have specially assigned territories within the Middle East and around Jerusalem depending upon which tribe they belong, and the overall territory of Israel will be what God originally promised Abraham (Ek 47:13 – 48:35). This territory will be for Jews and Israelites but there will be Gentiles allowed to live there as well (Ek 47:22-23). Who are these Gentiles living within the assigned territory of Israel? Scripture does not say, but perhaps these are Jewish proselytes who have no “official” Jewish or Israeli DNA, but because they have lived as being Jewish their whole lives, they are allowed to continue to do so. Although not an “official” Jew, they will be treated as though they are Jewish (Ek 47:22). Therefore, it would seem there is no real downside to not being an ethnically pure Jew as long as they are followers of their Messiah, Jesus Christ. This shows that God is always just and He is always more concerned about individual obedience than national obedience, even though both are important. God always rewards individual obedience which has already been shown in many examples provided in past posts.

There is another possibility in identifying those Gentiles who would be living within the borders of this New Israel. While this is speculative, it is consistent with God’s character and what He has promised in scripture, even though scripture does not explicitly state these activities. God has made each man and woman unique (Ps 139:13-16) and He treasures this about His creation. One’s uniqueness, one’s identity, will not be lost as one moves into the Millennium and the Eternal State.  Since the Millennium will be a time of great joy, then human beings being able to achieve and excel in their God-given talents, creativity, and personalities will most likely be highly encouraged by God Himself. One will then use these talents as one seeks to praise Him and seek to know Him better, which will be an adventure for many lifetimes over (Jb 36:26). Science has always been about understanding the unknown and the natural processes which occur on a day-to-day basis. There is no reason to believe this will end once mankind dwells with Christ. Since He has made mankind to be very inquisitive, and many have pursued this in a professional manner and have specialized in specific scientific areas, it is likely God will allow such to continue. After all, it seems God wants mankind to search out and discover things about Him (Pr 25:2). While in this present society many try to ignore God in this process of discovery, at this future time in earth’s history, it will be evident to whom all the glory for discoveries made should go. Bringing these scientific discoveries before Him and presenting these findings to all of earth’s inhabitants will further give glory to Him and help those who have not yet received Him as their Savior to have an even better appreciation for Jesus Christ, their King, Lord, and potential Savior.

Since Jerusalem will be the center for all things of the world during the Millennium, the oversight and administration for all these activities will likely also be centered in Jerusalem. Just as the Jews and Israelites will be the leaders of the worship of God during this time, those from the Gentile nations will likely be leading the world in these other avenues of praise to God through science, art, and other forms of creative expression since the Gentile nations are the ones to bring glory into Jerusalem and present this before Jesus Christ (Ps 86:9; Rv 15:4). It would make sense to have those who oversee such activities to also be in or near Jerusalem during this time. These may also be part of Gentile inhabitants to whom Ezekiel alluded when God showed him a vision of this time of earth’s history.

One can never outthink God and everything He has promised will most certainly come true, even if one cannot fathom how. It is likely one will be very astounded at the actuality of this time in earth’s future and will wonder why they limited their own thinking to its possibilities.

This reminds me of what Paul stated in 1st Corinthians: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who live Him” (1Co 2:9).

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

While Gentiles certainly benefit from the Millennial Kingdom, this time is prophetically about Israel fulfilling their original commission of being a kingdom of priests. From the beginning of Israel’s covenant with God at Mount Sinai, they were to be a kingdom of priests to the world. They did not fulfill that command the first time. Therefore, God is going to allow them the honor of fulfilling that command by leading the world in the worship of their King, their Savior. This will also include sacrifices. It is important to note that the purpose of sacrifices has always been about atonement, which is the act of cleansing. Of course, that meant the atonement, or cleansing, from sin, but also included the act of cleansing the implements that were a part of the ceremony.  This would still be true. Everything, including the altar itself, must be cleansed before it can be used in worship (Ek 43:13-27). All these things will, at least in the beginning, be a reminder to all of what Christ did for them.

While Israel will lead the world in the worship of God, there will still be many nations on earth. During this one-thousand-year reign, there will be many, many children born (Zc 8:4-5). They, too, will have to decide about putting their faith in Jesus Christ. It might seem obvious that in such a utopian society it would be a natural thing for people to do. However, even in the present world it is pride that leads to destruction (Pr 16:18); it will be no different in the Millennium. Although Satan will not be present, mankind’s nature is still present. Pride itself does not come from Satan, but he uses it to his advantage. Also, the children born during this time will not be aware of how bad and troubled the world was before Christ came and lifted the curse on both mankind and the earth. They will only know, according to them, that Christ has always been the ruler. While the teaching of their parents and other teachers will tell them of what Christ did and show that the sacrifices reveal the work that He did on the cross for everyone, these will not be experiences for them. These are things they will have to accept by faith just as their parents had done. Unfortunately, as time goes on, not everyone will put their faith in Jesus Christ, their king. This period of history will force mankind to admit that its biggest problem is mankind’s spirit itself. It is not Satan who creates the rebellion in one’s heart, but it is generated by one’s own pride.

The Bible also states that Jesus will reign with an iron scepter (Ps 2:9; Rv 12:5). That means all turmoil will be squelched immediately. After all, when the king knows one’s very thoughts, it is easy for Him to pass judgment quickly. Therefore, anyone who dies less than one-hundred years of age is considered cursed (Is 65:20). This is likely reflecting the seriousness of the acts by those who do rebel. Rebellion will not be tolerated. However, that does not mean internal, deep-seated animosity will not still occur. Some believe these scriptures teach that only those from the Gentile nations may reject Christ as their Savior while all the Jews will accept Him.

While the verse in Isaiah does not explicitly state death will not occur to anyone who does not rebel, it can be implied since the first resurrection has already occurred, and the second resurrection is only for the non-saved (Rv 20:4-6). The Bible does not speak of any further resurrection of the righteous. This suggests that those born during the Millennium and accept Christ as their Savior will never die.

As you can see, this will be quite an awesome kingdom. You, too, can be a part of it. Don’t miss it!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The beginning of the Millennium is almost like the antithesis of the earth after the Rapture – the world goes from chaos to peace. This time, all those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior are removed. After the Rapture, the earth and its inhabitants endured all sorts of natural disasters and plagues. In the Millennium, the earth and its inhabitants will have a wonderful environment and almost pure bliss. All has been made right again. All evil has been vanquished – at least for a time. Satan has been placed in the Abyss – locked up for one-thousand years so he can have no influence on mankind (Rv 20:1-3). All those who had come through the Tribulation and still not accepted Christ by faith have also been removed. The earth is full of only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, the King of Righteousness. For the first time the earth is at peace – true peace.

There are two groups who enter the Millennium. One group is composed of those who were alive at the time of Christ’s return and who had accepted Him as their Savior. They enter the Millennium in their current human bodies. The other group is composed of those who are part of the first resurrection and enter the Millennium in glorified bodies. These consists of the following:

1. Those who returned with Christ when He came to destroy the Antichrist and bind Satan (Rv 19:14). These are considered the church, i.e., those from Christ’s resurrection until the Rapture who put their faith in Him.

2. Those who put their faith in the Messiah prior to his resurrection (Dn 12:1-2). These are resurrected after Christ’s return and before the start of His reign (Rv 20:4).

3. Those martyred for their faith during the Tribulation period. These also are resurrected after Christ’s return and before the start of His reign (Rv 20:4).

These will be like Christ in the sense that they will have their resurrected, glorified, bodies. They will be different from those who survived the Tribulation. Those who survived the Tribulation will still have human bodies like ours today. These who returned with Christ have what are called “glorified” bodies (1Jn 3:2). They already have the bodies they will possess in the Eternal State and know they will forever be with their Lord. The “New Testament saints” are considered the Bride of Christ (2Co 11:2; Ep 5:25-27; Rv 19:5-9) and the “Old Testament saints” are their attendants (Mt 25:1, 10). Both have a major part to play in Christ’s Kingdom. Future posts will explore this further. I hope you join us.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Many have stated that one cannot know if these events as described in the Bible, and especially in Revelation, are literal events or if they are allegorical and could thereby mean something completely different. There are three important points that should be noted before one makes a final decision on this point:

1. The context of these events: The Old Testament prophets when prophesying to the people of their day were referring to this time as a warning for Israel and Judah to repent and turn back to their One True God. However, in the midst of this there was also hope (Jr 30:7-24). Hope is hardly ever given in an allegorical manner; otherwise, it is not hope. Hope must be on something that is tangible. Therefore, it seems that to these prophets, it was a literal occurrence because it brought hope to them and to their people. They did not see God’s revelation of this period of time in an allegorical manner. Since there are many parallels between the events described by John in Revelation and the events described by these Old Testament prophets, it would seem logical that the events in Revelation are also literal and not allegorical.

2. The purpose of these events: God promised He would restore both Israel and Judah back to their homeland (Is 11:11-12; Jr 16:14-15). What better way to have this occur than the world-wide events and persecution described in Revelation? They will flee to the only place on earth where they will not be persecuted: Israel.

3. The early church belief of these events: The early church leaders believed these events to be literal. Three of the Gospel writers all record Jesus talking about these future events that parallel those of the Old Testament prophets and the events outlined in Revelation (Mt 24:4-42; Mk 13:5-37; Lk 21:8-36). Paul believed in a literal interpretation (1Co 15:24; 1Th 2:12; 2Th 1:5) as well as did Peter (2Pt 1:11) and James (Ja 2:5). All these early church leaders believed Jesus to be speaking of literal events and that they coincided with Old Testament prophecy.

Therefore, based upon these three points, a literal interpretation as presented in these posts seems relevant. These events are literal and still future to us today. If they are then literal, let’s understand them and take them to heart. We get a glimpse of a beautiful future awaiting us!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Why does the Tribulation Period cause a definition change for Gentiles? Let’s get an understanding of what happens.

Although there are many Gentiles who turn to Jesus Christ during the Tribulation, the Antichrist will hold his sway over the majority. The nations look to him as their savior from the chaos which erupts after the Rapture, and he seems to be just that for the first few years. As conditions on earth start to get worse and worse, the Antichrist, just like Nero during the Roman Empire, makes Jews and Christians the scapegoat and punishes them severely. Many will blindly believe what the Antichrist tells them and cling more tightly to him because they feel he is their only hope.

The Antichrist brings almost all the armies of the world to the Middle East and the battle of Armageddon is fought which was described in previous posts. This leads to their ultimate destruction when Christ returns, as none of them can stand up to him.

Of course, this does not mean everyone on earth is in the Middle East for this battle. The ordinary men and women of all the earth’s nations are still going about their normal daily routine. The Bible states that what occurs is a reversal of the events which occurred previously at the Rapture. Now, all of those who are not believers in Christ will be taken while those who are left on the earth will be Christians (Mt 24:40-41; Lk 17:34-35). The nations will then be judged for how they treated Christ’s followers (Mt 25:32-46).

This pattern has been observed throughout history. God uses the animosity of nation against nation to achieve his desired plan. In this case, God uses the Antichrist and the earth’s nations to drive all the Jews and those of Israeli descent back to Israel forcibly so that He can in the end save them. Yet, these nations are then held accountable for their hateful actions.

Future Passovers from this time forward will not look back to the time God brought Israel out of Egypt but will look back to this Tribulation Period where God brought all of his chosen people back to their homeland (Jr 16:14-15). Both Israel and Judah will once again be reunited (Jr 30:3). Gentile nations will also partake in these Jewish feasts as well, but the Feast of Tabernacles will have a judicial ordinance attached to it to require attendance in Jerusalem (Zc 14:18).

This return of God’s chosen people to their homeland is comprised not only of Jews but also of Israelis. It was previously mentioned that those of Israeli descent were scattered throughout Europe and even to America. Over time, of course, no pure Israeli remained as they were integrated into the cultures of those nations. It has always been a mystery how those of Israeli descent will be driven back to Israel if they don’t even know they are of Israeli descent. This mystery may be solved. Today, one can more fully explore their ancestry by opting for a DNA test which will reveal their ethnic background and know from which countries and/or ethnicities their forefathers originated. It is possible that the Antichrist will utilize either this type of database or force everyone to take such a test. Then all those with Israeli or Jewish DNA will be persecuted and/or killed. That will force a mass exodus of these individuals to Israel for safety. It is likely many Gentiles will be surprised they are not truly Gentile after all. However, if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, it will become a great blessing to them as they move into the Millennium as all the people of the earth will hold them in great esteem during that time.

The definition of Gentiles, therefore, changes back to the first century definition of Gentiles comprising anyone who is not an Israelite (non-Jewish and non-Israeli). This definition now continues into eternity.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The second half of the Tribulation Period is known as the Period of Great Tribulation. The Antichrist sets himself up as the one who should be worshipped by all (Rv 13:8). He has a death, or near-death, experience and recovers which only drives more loyalty to him by those on earth (Rv 13:14). He even sets himself up in Israel’s temple as the one to worship (Dn 9:27; Mt 24:15). He puts a mark on those who show their allegiance to him and only they can buy or sell (Rv 13:16-17). Without the mark, no one can buy anything and anyone without the mark is immediately sentenced to die.

Many Jews flee to a more southern region (Mt 24:16; Rv 12:14) which many believe will be Petra, which is located south of the Dead Sea and in today’s country of Jordan. Many Christians and Jews who have converted based upon the evangelistic campaign by the one hundred and forty-four thousand will likely be there to greet these refuges as they would have already searched the scriptures and know that Daniel and John prophesied God’s protection of this area (Dn 11:41; Rv 12:14) and that Isaiah had prophesied of Christ’s triumph in this region (Is 34, 63). The Antichrist is now also against the Jews and is determined to wipe them out. Satan, through the Antichrist, had to first gain the confidence and loyalty of all. Once he has that, and has gained sufficient power, he then follows through with this original plan. If he can wipe out the Jewish nation, then Christ cannot fulfill His final mission of ruling over His chosen people. Therefore, total Jewish annihilation is the only goal he will accept.

The Antichrist, however, is determined. He is able to muster most of the world’s military to the Middle East and sets up to go against both Jerusalem and, likely, Petra (Rv 16:14-16) for what has been termed the Battle of Armageddon (Rv 16:16). The reason is that many Jews fled to this area south of the Dead Sea and the Antichrist is very determined to annihilate all Jews. The Antichrist’s armies are therefore placed from Jerusalem down to Petra. Jerusalem is attacked, ransacked, and brought to the verge of annihilation (Zc 14:2). Petra is surrounded (Is 34:1-6, 63:1-6).

Then the long-awaited promise occurs. Those in Jerusalem finally say the very words Christ stated must be spoken before he would return: blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Mt 23:39). This is important because the context of these words is from one of the psalms (Ps 118:26), a psalm of deliverance. By saying these words, they are agreeing with the psalmist in asking for deliverance, a deliverance that results in their salvation and ushers in their Messiah’s reign. Jesus does not disappoint them. Descending from Heaven, He comes with all of those who had previously put their faith in him (Rv 19:11-14).

Just as Christ touches down on the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem, the biggest earthquake that mankind and the world have ever experienced occurs (Rv 16:18-20). This is likely the fourth earthquake mentioned in the previous post. It topples cities, moves mountains and islands from their places, and changes landscapes. The whole earth convulses and responds to the King’s touch. It causes all the faults in the area to separate. It has been found that the Arabian fault extends from the Afar Triangle (where the Arabian, African, and Somalian plates meet) up through the Gulf of Aqaba and through the Jordan River basin (called the Great Rift Valley) northward. In addition, there is a fault zone, called the Palmyra Belt of Faults and Folds extending from the Jordan River north of the Sea of Galilee to the Euphrates River. All throughout this area are subterranean riverbeds. A fault scarp (when land at the fault zone is thrown upward forming a cliff face on one side of the fault and a more level area on the other side of the fault) between Geba (about five miles north of Jerusalem) to Rimmon (about thirty-five miles south of Jerusalem) is formed which causes the area east to become a plain (Zc 14:10). The rift in the Mount of Olives will go westward to the Tyropoean Valley in Jerusalem (Zc 14:10-11) as well as eastward forming a scarp face which allows a subterranean river to flow from beneath the temple mount in Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea (Zc 14:8; Ek 47:1-12). Also, the Palmyra Belt of Faults will separate forcing the Euphrates River to flow into the Jordan River causing the remainder of the Euphrates River to dry up (Rv 16:12). Water from the Euphrates will then flow into the Jordan River as well as from other subterranean rivers now exposed from the scarp face. These fresh waters will flow into the Dead Sea making it vibrant for fish and vegetation (Ek 47:9-10); water will then flow out of the Dead Sea to the sea of Aqaba while another part of the Jordan will flow along the newly developed scarp face into the Mediterranean Sea (Zc 14:8). While all these events are to bring judgment, it seems they are also preparing the earth for the coming Millennial Kingdom.

Jesus first touches down on the Mount of Olives as was stated and then goes immediately to Bozra where the Antichrist’s armies were set against Petra and defeats the foes there. Defeating the enemy is not a hard task for him. It is, though, a very bloody task. A single word from Christ and the enemies’ flesh begins to disintegrate; there is panic and confusion and the army that the Adversary has brought starts fighting each other (Zc 14:12-15). The number of the enemy who fall is so great that blood spatters all the way up to a horse’s bridle (Rv 14:20). Jesus then heads up to Jerusalem in his blood-stained garments (Is 63:1) where he defeats all of his foes along the way and comes to Jerusalem victorious and enters Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate (Ek 43:1-5). This gate has long been closed (since 1541 AD by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent) representing the hopelessness of the Jews and their lost promises. Yet, such a closure is no barrier for the King of kings.

Christ will fulfill everything he has promised. Time is immaterial. What is a long time to use is not for him. All will work out as he has ordained. We can bank on that. Don’t you want a sure thing? Who doesn’t? This is a sure thing. Trust him. You’ll be glad you did.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

God is always at work spiritually – even during the future time known as the Period of Tribulation. Not long after the Rapture happens, although the restraint of the Holy Spirit is removed, the Holy Spirit will be very active in creating an evangelistic force which God will use as His witnesses during this dark and horrific period of history. Many Israelites will put their faith in Christ and begin to evangelize the world (Rv 14:1-5). These one hundred and forty-four thousand individuals are protected so that the Antichrist cannot harm them, and their work can continue (Rv 7:1-8). However, not everyone who listens to, and accepts, their message are as protected, as there will be many martyrs during this time (Rv 6:9; 7:9-17). It seems that times of persecution actually help spread the gospel message much like it did during early church times. These Jewish evangelists will also evangelize Gentiles during this Tribulation Period as these martyrs will include people of all nations and languages (Rv 7:9).

Because these one hundred and forty-four thousand individuals are from almost all the identified tribes of Israel (Rv 7:4-8), some believe this could not occur as described here in Revelation because the ten tribes that composed the northern kingdom of Israel were lost to history after their captivity by Assyria (2Ki 17:5-6). However, as stated in earlier posts, there is profound evidence that the kingdom of Israel was larger than most think, and the ten northern tribes of Israel were not lost, but many from these tribes settled in and around Armenia and later became a significant force of the Parthian Empire. When that empire crumbled, many crossed the Caucasus Mountains into Europe. This helps to explain why there is an Armenian quarter in Jerusalem. There are two religious components: Christian and Muslim; then there are two ethnic components: Jewish and Armenian (representing the two components of the split Israeli empire: Judah and Israel, respectively).

Despite all of these disasters, the Antichrist tries to make the best of it to keep the world together and on his side. At the same time, he persecutes not only Jews, but Christians as well causing many to be martyred (Rv 6:9). As the Jewish evangelists are showing many how to be saved, the Antichrist uses religion to help unite his followers as well. Up until the middle of this seven-year period, a unified religion has been implemented that suits his unification purpose. It has been suggested that the worship of a deity mother could be this unification factor to appeal to almost all with different religious backgrounds. Ever since the time of the tower of Babel, a counterfeit religion of a mother and son has existed and has manifested itself into most religions of the world. Therefore, this is certainly a plausible scenario as people would not have to drastically change their belief system to fit into the new world-church order. This will meet the Antichrist’s initial needs as he unifies the nations of the world into ten regions that are in allegiance to him (Dn 7:24; Rv 17:12). However, once he is in control, this counterfeit religion and his treaty with Israel become hindrances to his lust for total domination. These restrict what he can do. Therefore, he attempts to get rid of both (Dn 9:27; Rv 12:17, 17:16).

About mid-way into the seven years, Satan’s access to heaven is denied (Rv 12:9). It seems that Satan has always had access to heaven (Jb 1:6). Satan was created as Lucifer, the cherub that covers (Ek 28:14), the one who was the closest to God Himself – before he rebelled. As a created being, he has always been subject to God’s control and the limitations God imposed upon him (Jb 1:12). However, that has not seemed to deflate his ego or his belief that he can get out of these restrictions. Since the dawn of time, he has tried to prevent God’s prophecies from coming true – and will try until the very end. He knows that if he can destroy all of Israel, then God’s promise cannot come true. Now with his access to heaven taken away, he intensifies his efforts. The second half of the Tribulation period is known as the Great Tribulation because of both the heightened intensity of Satan’s actions through the Antichrist as well as the more intense judgments that befall the earth.

In the next post, we will investigate what occurs during this time of Great Tribulation.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens