 
#  **The Signs of His Coming**

Olujide Arije

Copyright 2014, Smashwords edition

©2013 Olujide Arije

All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked 'The New Living Translation' or NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked 'The Message' or MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked 'Amplified Bible' or AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked 'God's Word Translation' or GW are taken from GOD'S WORD®, © 1995 God's Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked 'Contemporary English Version' or CEV are taken from the Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version

Scripture quotations marked '1912 Weymouth New Testament' are taken from the Holy Bible, 1912 Weymouth New Testament.

Lord, open my understanding in this matter that doubt might dissolve and that by the correct knowledge of these things, true light may shine in my heart and correct teaching may be delivered to the body of Christ to the end that we will have hope and receive much comfort,  
Amen

# **Contents**

Preface

1 Jesus is coming again

2 Characteristics of His Coming

3 Manner of His Coming

4 The Mystery of the Lord

5 The Elect

6 The Antichrist

7 Condition for 'Rapture'

8 Sequence of His Coming

9 The Day of the Lord

10 Our Comfort, Hope and Rejoicing

Appendix A

Appendix B

# **Preface**

The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a subject marked with so many controversies because of the different interpretations that have been given to the same sets of scriptures. I had so much bubbling within me from studying the scriptures on the matter that I could not help but put them all down in a book. Now being compelled by Holy Spirit to get this book out, I find it very difficult not to comply with His leading that I perceive in my heart.

Please, if there are any errors of commission or omission in this book; let them be charged squarely to my account for we know only in part. However I ask every reader to study personally to see if these things be so. My prayer is that the very God of peace will sanctify you wholly; and that your whole spirit and soul and body will be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, Amen.

# 1 Jesus is coming again

And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. 1st The 4:13 NLT

Listening to teachings about the end time is scary for a lot of people. When the end time is preached or taught, it usually makes people either sober or sad. To be sober is altogether not bad if it is godly – for godly sorrow works repentance – but sad doesn't seem right in the light of the scripture in 1st Thessalonians 4:13 that expressly says on this matter: "...not (to) be full of sorrow...". In fear some get born again and others rededicate their lives to right living. However, after the acute effect of the message has worn off, life goes back to the pre-message state: "...eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage" (Mat 24:38). The message of His coming however should be good news to those that are looking forward to his coming. The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians to comfort one another with the words about the second coming of Christ (1st The 4:18). He also told Timothy that there is a type of crown reserved for those that love the appearing of the Lord (2nd Tim 4:8). The Apostle John said that when we shall see him we shall be like him (1st John 3:2). The appearing of Lord is the joyful hope we have. The usefulness of our trust and faith in his death and resurrection rests on His second coming. If He is not coming again, we can as well just "eat and drink; for tomorrow we die". Scriptures show us that the resurrection of those that died in Christ will be when Christ comes again. It also tells us that the 'saving' of the bodies of those of us who are alive then will be at this time too. If he does not come again we are of all men most miserable. If Christ is not coming again, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die and it all ends there. However we join with Job who said many years ago:

"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. (26) And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (27) I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! Job 19:25-27 NLT

" _I know that my Savior lives, and at the end he will stand on this earth. (26) My flesh may be destroyed, yet from this body I will see God. (27) Yes, I will see him for myself, and I long for that moment". Job 19:25-27 CEV_

The Hope of Our Calling

Man is a tripartite being: he has a spirit, a soul and a body. This is a foundational truth that everyone must understand. 1st The 5:23 says: "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ". This scripture shows us that the whole man is made up of spirit, soul and body. What is the relationship among these three? Firstly, man is a spirit. When God was to create man, he said: "let us make man in our own image and likeness". Jesus gave us an understanding of the image and likeness of God when he declared: "God is a Spirit..." (John 4:2-4). Man must also be a spirit if indeed he was made in the image and likeness of God. We can say then that man is essentially a spirit. You will notice that though the body of man was made from the earth, he only became alive when God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils (Gen 2:7). Thus the essence of man is not his physical body. We can clearly demarcate at least two distinct parts of man: his body and his spirit. The body of man is his earth-suit; his legitimate basis for being on earth. Just as man cannot survive in outer space without the space-suit, so also man cannot survive on earth without his earth-suit which is his body. Man interacts and transacts in the physical realm with his body: touch, taste, hearing, sight and smell. Man interacts and transacts in the spiritual realm with his spirit. There is a spiritual realm indeed because God is a Spirit. The Apostles James crowned it up when he said: "...the body without the spirit is dead..." (Jas 2:26). The body without the spirit is useless. Thus again, man in his essence is his spirit not his body. There is an intermediate part between the body and the spirit called the soul and that is the third part of man. The soul consists of man's intellect, will and emotion; these are peculiar to the soul and apart from the body and spirit. The soul is also the mind. Awareness or consciousness is in the soul for man became a living soul, that is, became aware of himself when God breathed into him (Gen 2:7). The relation amongst the components of man can now be expressed thus: man essentially is a spirit, he has a soul and he lives in a body. When the body expires (dies) the spirit departs and takes the soul along (cf. Gen 35:18 and Luk 16:19-24; the rich man still had his awareness even after death of his physical body)

The point to note from the above is this: when a man gets born again, it is his spirit that gets born again, not his soul and not his body. Paul told the Corinthians that: "...if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2Cor 5:17). That newness is in the spirit of man. Nothing happens physically to the man; some may have emotional experiences but the actual change was a spiritual one. No one experiences any physical changes like increased or decreased weight, height, number of pimples on the face, and so on, when they get born again. Scripture however teaches what to do with the other two parts. In Romans 12: 1 Paul told the Christians in Rome that having made a decision to follow the Lord Jesus Christ they needed to make a conscious effort to direct the activities of their bodies to only those things that would please him: as living sacrifice. In the next verse he told them what to do with the Soul (the mind): they were to renew their minds. Lets' see these scriptures:

" _I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,_ which is _your reasonable service". (Rom 12:1)_

" _And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what_ is _that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". (Rom 12:2)_

While the salvation of the spirit is done and complete, the salvation of the soul is ongoing and will continue till the man departs from the physical realm. The salvation of the body is at the second coming of the Lord Jesus when we shall receive new bodies: bodies like the Lord Jesus had after He rose from the dead. It is the salvation of our bodies the Apostle Paul called the Hope of our Salvation. It is for the completion of this salvation that our hope is put in the returning of the Lord Jesus. Earlier in my walk with the Lord, when I read the words of Paul about a salvation we were waiting for, I didn't quite understand and I wondered: "did we not receive salvation when we got born again"? It has now become clear to me that he was talking about coming into the fullness of what we received, which is the saving of our bodies. Consider the dimension of hope in the following scriptures:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (Eph 1:18)

For we through the Spirit wait for the **hope of righteousness** by faith (Gal 5:5)

There is _one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one **hope of your calling** ; (Eph 4:4)_

For the **hope which is laid up for you in heaven** , whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; (Col 1:5)

In **hope of eternal life** , which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; (Tit 1:2)

Looking for **that blessed hope** , and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Tit 2:13)

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the **hope of eternal life**. (Tit 3:7)

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the **confidence and the rejoicing of the hope** firm unto the end. (Heb 3:6)

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the **full assurance of hope unto the end** : (Heb 6:11)

_That by two immutable things, in which_ it was _impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon **the hope set before us** : (Heb 6:18)_

_Blessed_ be _the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a **lively hope** by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1Pe 1:3)_

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1Pe 1:13)

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1Jn 3:3)

Hope that is seen is not hope, so we wait patiently for what he has promised. To sum up all of these, we can take this wisdom: The spirit of the man is saved when he gets born again; his soul is being saved as he renews his mind to the word and will of God; and his body will be saved when Jesus comes again. The latter is the grace that is to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Thus, the second coming is central to all that we believe and hope in.

Jesus is Coming Again

The first coming of the Lord was when he came in the form of man, born of a virgin, went about doing good, but was rejected by his own; was crucified eventually but rose from the dead. All of these events were prophesied before they happened and they happened exactly as they were prophesied. Then, He came as a lamb. Scriptures testify of him as the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. The prophet, Isaiah said about him: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isa 53:7). However he is coming back but this time as a lion to rule and reign. In the full view of His disciples the Lord Jesus ascended in the clouds. On that day the angels that appeared to the disciples told them: "...Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Act 1:11). Apostle John on the Island of Patmos also testified to these things when he saw heaven opened up and "...a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True. For he judges fairly and then goes to war, His eyes were bright like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him, and only he knew what it meant. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God." (Rev 19:11-13 NLT). The second coming of the Lord Jesus marks the end of all things as we have known them and the beginning of all things as it was before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Jesus Christ himself is coming to reign on this earth in person. The second coming of Christ is the hope of our salvation. That is what we are living and waiting for: that we might see him as he is for then we shall be like him.

Underscoring the utmost importance of this event, part or all of at least eight different chapters in the New Testament are dedicated to the second coming of the Lord and countless other scripture all over the bible are written about it. If we would go by the two or three witness rule (2Cor 13:1), we have abundantly more than enough witnesses to settle the matter. The New Testament chapters include Mathew 24 & 25, Mark 13, Luke 17 & 21, 1st Corinthians 15, 1st Thessalonians 4, 2nd Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 19. In Matt 24:3, the disciples asked the Lord, "... when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" He gave, in most concise details, the event build up to his coming again. He summed it up with the parable of the fig tree saying: "When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. Just so, when you see the events I've described taking place, you can be sure that the Kingdom of God is near" (Luk 21:29-31 NLT). Many of the things he said have happened and are happening even now.

One of the key events related to the second coming of Christ is what has been called the rapture. Interestingly the word rapture was not used in the scriptures but has come to be known as that coming event in which those who died as Christians (i.e. received Jesus as their personal lord and saviour before they died) will be raised from the dead and those Christians still alive at that time together with them will supernaturally disappear from the earth at the coming of the Lord Jesus. In this book, we will refer to this event properly as the catching-up of the saints just as the Apostle Paul described it when he wrote in 1st The 4:17 "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord". The teachings of the Apostle Paul are very instrumental to our understanding these events. It was he that supplied us even more precise and direct details of this all-important affair. Little wonder he wrote that he would not have us ignorant. The light and revelation we have in the knowledge of God must be full and rounded not just about the second coming of our Lord but what we have become now that we are in him and what we will be after He comes back to take us to be with Him. I therefore pray the same prayer that Apostle Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus (Eph 1:17-19) for everyone reading this book. I pray "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power", In Jesus' name, Amen.

#  2 Characteristics of His Coming

"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day". Mat 24:37 NLT

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed". 1Co 15: 52

Before He Comes

We are in a period of time when there is so much information that no single individual can keep up with all of it. The prophet Daniel was given several visions about things coming many years after him. He was however told to "shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Dan 12:4). Knowledge has indeed increased and no doubt this is the time of the end. Jesus started the unsealing of these things when he described the events that will precede his coming. He said:

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. (8) All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Mat 24:6-8)

Since Jesus gave these prophecies two millennia ago, numerous wars have occurred. What is more unique now is the frequency of these events. Armed conflicts within and between nations (Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mali and Congo to mention a few) have reached an all time high. Also numerous nations have experienced catastrophic weather events like storms, earthquakes, floods, forest fires amongst others. We must however be vigilant to note that these are only the beginning and not the end of the last days. The occurrence of these events only testifies that Jesus is coming real soon.

Now, someone says the message that Jesus is coming back has been preached forever yet there is no sign of him. Well there you have it. The signs are everywhere. Systems are failing; the environment is experiencing more and more corruption. The lease of the earth to man – though hijacked from him in the Garden of Eden – is about to expire. I will have you know that the earth never belonged to man. You will remember that man was placed in the earth to be the care-taker of the property. The time is about to come when the keys must be handed over to the real owner of the real estate. While we wait for this time we should consider the words of Apostle Peter:

First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire. (4) This will be their argument: "Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same since the world was first created." (5) They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth up from the water and surrounded it with water. (6) Then he used the water to destroy the world with a mighty flood. (7) And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the Day of Judgment, when ungodly people will perish. (8) But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. (9) The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. (10) But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment. (2Pe 3:3-10 NLT)

God is patient and long suffering; He desires all to be saved. If you have not believed in the message of the Cross of Christ, this is another opportunity to make a decision for the Lord. Your life will never remain the same for good if you do. The events so described will still occur whether you believe in the Lord Jesus or not; but you will not partake in the eternal condemnation If you choose to believe. To receive Jesus into your heart as your Lord and saviour please go to the Post Script now.

At His Coming

Some other events described by Jesus when he was asked by his disciples about the signs of his coming back are to occur at the very time of his coming. The following scriptures illustrate these events:

Mat 24:30-31 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

_1Th 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive_ and _remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord._

_Psa 50:3-6 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. (4) He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. (5) Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. (6) And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God_ is _judge himself. Selah._

Key points in these scriptures are summarised in a table. Please follow this link to  download table

These scriptures all describe the same events some in more details than the others. Gleaning from them we can paint a picture of what to expect when the Lord Jesus returns. The second coming of the Lord will be a public spectacle. There will be great shouts of the coming of the king. The angels will announce with sound of the trump; this time not to shepherds watching their flocks by night but to the whole world. The armies of heaven will come with him; fire will burn before him, there will be such brightness that his enemies will seek to hide from him. Then the world will behold the one that was pierced and nailed to the cross. The dead in Christ shall rise from the grave. The angels will gather the elect of the Lord from all the corners of the world. All these ones will receive a transformation of their physical bodies into new spiritual bodies. Altogether they will be transported by angels to meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds. No wonder the Psalmist, seeing ahead, declared: "Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice" (Ps 50:3). The covenant they made was to accept the sacrifice that Jesus paid for them when He went to the cross. The new body is the incorruptible body – the same that Jesus had when he resurrected from the dead

It should be noted that the Apostle Paul qualified the trump that is to be sounded at the coming of the Lord as the Last trump. By implication there were some trumps before it. The book of Revelations described a series of trumpets that will be blown to initiate events of the end time (Rev 8). Later in this book we will see that the last of these trumps will be the one that ushers in the Lord Jesus. We should note that it is at the time of the glorious coming of the Lord Jesus that His saints will be gathered to him. These points are important for us to understand the sequence of events of the coming of the Lord Jesus. We see here that the second coming of Christ is marked by at least the six events as listed in the preceding table. We will consider the manner in which the Lord will come in a subsequent chapter.

There are many movies about aliens and alien attacks. While I watched one recently, it was quickened within me that the makers of these films were trying to create scenarios of an extra terrestrial aggressor and the likely human response patterns. They create this funny notion of invincibility with the nuclear arsenal and other armament of man as well as the strength of will that man is supposed to possess. Well, to these men with these imaginations: There is indeed coming an external power to take over the whole earth. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Interestingly their minds have not led them to simulate the scenario that Jesus described about his second coming. Anyway, no matter what scenario they simulate, there is only one outcome in this matter: every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is not coming riding on a donkey like he did once. This time he is coming in glory and power. All who love this world and the system of this world beware! It is love for this world that has led to unbelief but today is another day of salvation. Get it now and get it fast.

What is most exciting about the coming back of Christ is that we will be changed. We will put off the old body of death; immortality will swallow up mortality. Our mortal body, which at the moment is subject to weakness and decay, will be transformed into one full of life and glory. We will be transformed! Just as Jesus after he rose from the dead, we will appear in rooms without walking through doors or any other opening. We will never be subject to death or disease again. Apostle John said it is not apparent now what we shall be but when we shall see Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) we shall be like Him. The Apostle Paul declared this truth in his letter to the Philippians when he wrote:

" _..Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (21) Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself". Php 3:20-21_

Joyful expectations fill my heart because my saviour is coming again. I will see him as he is and I will be like him and with him forever. My present natural limitations will no longer matter because they will no longer be found. The coming of the Lord is no longer a fearful expectation of judgement and punishment. This is driving me to serve the Lord even more. No wonder the Apostle wrote:

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (3) And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure (1Jn 3:2-3).

#  3 Manner of His Coming

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1st The 5:2

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Mat 24:27

Like a thief in the night...

One of the ways the second coming of the Lord is described in the scriptures is it will be "like a thief in the night". We will now examine those scriptures where this figure of speech was used to describe the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Luk 12:39-40 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. (40) Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

1Th 5:1-2 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. (2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Mat 24:42-44 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (43) But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. (44) Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

_Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed_ is _he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame._

Firstly, we must understand that the illustration of a thief in the night describes only in part the coming of the Lord. This is the understanding: a thief does not usually announce the timing of his coming, wanting to work on the element of surprise. Jesus is saying that the timing of His coming will not be known. As a matter of truth it is not known to even Him (Mar 13:32). The illustration of a thief in the night describes the awareness of his coming, not the quietness of his coming. Though His coming is like a thief in the night He is not coming to steal us way. He is coming like a thief in timing but not in purpose or intent. The time of His coming will not be known to any, just like the time of arrival of a thief is not known ordinarily. However, when the Lord comes it will be known to all that He has indeed come. We saw in the previous chapter that all eyes shall see Him when he comes but the time of His coming is known to none. The figure of speech 'like a thief in the night' describes the knowledge of timing not the manner of his coming. He is not coming to steal us away like a thief.

For us the believers, the coming of the Lord will not take us by surprise at all because we are looking forward to his coming. Paul writing to Timothy said that there is a crown reserved for those that love the appearing of the Lord (2Ti 4:8). Can one be surprised at the arrival of what he/she has been waiting patiently for? Receiving what one has been waiting for is not accompanied by surprise. No! It comes with relief, joy after the wait and sense of achievement; definitely not surprise. For the world without Christ, they will be surprised that he came back. Some will say: "all the while I thought it was a joke or religious fanaticism". It is for those that are not expectant that the day will come like a thief in the night: full of surprise and regret. No wonder it is written: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief" (1Th 5:4). Paul says here said that we are not in the darkness about these things. The day will not come like a thief for us. Even though we do not know the exact time of his coming, our awareness of His coming is so heightened that his coming will never come as a surprise to us. As a matter of fact, we are expectant and jubilant that he is coming again and that real soon

Every eye shall see

The timing of the coming of thieves is quite unlike their arrival. When they have come, all people around know that the thieves have come, particularly when they come using all kinds of weapons to carry out their venture. Often it is the commotion of their arrival that announces their presence. So shall the coming of the Lord Jesus be. The timing of his coming may be unknown but His arrival will be known to all. Jesus is not coming for a stealth operation to steal away the saints. There is no scripture that explicitly supports a quiet catching up of the saints. The Lord Jesus is coming as the conqueror to take over the kingdom. As stated in the previous chapter, there will be shouts and the blowing of trumpet, fire will burn before him, and He will come full of power and glory with tremendous angelic activities going on. His coming will be so bright that scripture records that the antichrist will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming (2Th 2:8). The arrival of the Lord Jesus is not a secret affair at all. It is glorious full of brightness and power. It will be a full demonstration of the Godhead. The Apostle John saw this on the Island of Patmos when he saw one seated on a white horse riding in glory, followed by the hosts of heaven (Rev 19:11-17). Several other scriptures testify to this manner of the coming of the Lord:

Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

_Luk 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one_ part _under heaven, shineth unto the other_ part _under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day._

_Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they_ also _which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen._

Jesus said not said believe anyone that says He has already come. Indeed, when He comes, all will know that he has come. His coming will be known. It will be obvious. It will be clear. No one will miss it. All eyes will see it. It will be in the full glare of the whole world. The coming of the Lord Jesus will be a public spectacle. With this understanding let us now consider a critical event in the timeline of the events of the end-time.

#  4 The Mystery of the Lord

"Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (10) That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" Eph 1:9-10

"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets". Rev 10:7

Let us start by considering two questions:

1. What is the mystery the Lord declared to his servants the prophets according to Rev 10:7?

2. If he has declared the mystery, are we able to see it in what the prophets have written down?

Indeed we can learn about the mystery of the Lord from the writings of the prophet. More explicitly we can learn about the mystery of the Lord from the epistles of Apostle Paul. He talked about the mystery of God in several places (Rom 16:25, 1Co 2:7, Gal 3:13-14, Eph 1:9-11, Eph 3:3-6, Eph 3:9, Col 1:25-27, Col 2:2). This mystery is well put in Eph3:3-6.

Eph 3:3-6 "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, (4) Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) (5) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (6) That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel" (emphasis mine)

Thus we see that the mystery of the Lord is that salvation will be extended to the whole world such that both the 'Jews' and the 'Gentiles' now have same access to the Father through the Lord Jesus. It is about this mystery that he wrote to the Ephesians:

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (13) But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (14) For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; (15) Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (16) And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (17) And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. (18) For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; (20) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Eph 2:13-20)

It was this mystery that some of the prophets talked about when they wrote:

_Isa 65:1 I am sought of_ them that _asked not_ for me _; I am found of_ them that _sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation_ that _was not called by my name._

_Hos 2:23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to_ them which were _not my people, Thou_ art _my people; and they shall say,_ Thou art _my God._

This same scripture was echoed by some of the New Testament writers. For instance Apostle Paul wrote:

But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me (Rom 10:20).

In particular we should consider the scripture in first epistle of Peter:

_Receiving the end of your faith,_ even _the salvation of_ your _souls (10) Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace_ that should come _unto you: (11) Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (12) Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1Pe 1:9-12)_

In Rev 10:7 we see that the Lord has in time past declared His mystery to His servants the prophets. In reading 1 Pet 1:10, we will understand that it was this same mystery the Apostle was writing about. The Prophets of old sought to understand it. They enquired and searched diligently into it because it was spoken to them in a mystery; the Spirit of Christ within them also testified to them that the message was not for their time but for a time when the Messiah will come. What was said to them was about our salvation? It was about the suffering of Christ and the glory to follow (see Is 53). This glory is that all that come to the Father through Christ can receive the grace of adoption to become the sons of God. It is this same thing that Paul meant when he said: "to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col 1:27). This glory is that the gentiles can become partakers of the mercy and goodness of God. A people that were not God's people can now be called God's own

The Lord Jesus has reconciled the two (Jew and Gentile) into one body. Salvation from Zion has gone to the end of the world by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In John 1:20, we read that as many as believed in him (Christ); he gave the power to be called the sons of God. Now are we sons of God. Oh! What manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called the sons of God. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are sons of God. And we have the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father. This is the same promise that was written that God will one day gather all (believing Jews and Gentiles) together under one, that is, His Son Jesus(Eph 1:10).

Knowing then that the mystery of God is that salvation is also for the gentiles, let us consider the fullness of the gentiles which Paul talked about in Rom 11:25: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in". If the gentiles' coming into Christ is the mystery of the Lord, then, the fullness of the coming in of the gentiles will be the end of this mystery of God. Jesus, also talking about the fulfilling of the times of the gentiles, said: "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luk 21:24). In Revelation 10:7, it is written that the sounding of a particular trumpet will mark the end of the mystery of God. Seven trumpets were blown in the book of Revelations. Each of the trumpets signified an important event in the agenda of God for the end time. We will not discuss the first six trumpets and their significance here. Please read the eighth and ninth chapters of the book Revelations to learn about these other trumpets. What is most important for this discourse is that the trumpets were blown one after the other and the seventh was the last in the series.Scripture has already said that the last trump signifies the end of the mystery of God. It also says that the mystery of the Lord will be completed when the fullness of the gentiles come in. This means that the last trump which signifies the end of this mystery will be blown when the fullness of the gentiles have come in (or when the times of the gentiles be fulfilled). Now, Apostle Paul tells us that there will be the blowing of the last trump before the catching up of the saints (1Co 15:52). The last trumpet that Paul refers to rightly fits the 7th trumpet of Revelation having considered the scriptures that say the last trump completes the mystery of God. Since the mystery of God is that salvation through Christ will be extended to the Jews and Gentiles alike, the implication is that when the mystery ends at the blowing of the seventh trumpet, the time of extending salvation in this manner also ends. It is for this reason that those that have received the salvation will depart from the scene at the blowing of the last trump. Indeed, the saints of God will be caught-up at the blowing of the last trump. This knowledge completes the picture. The end of the mystery of God will be signified by the blowing of the last trump which will be at the time when Jesus himself will descend in the clouds and send his angels to gather his saints to him. The mystery of the Lord will be completed at the second coming of Christ. So, we see the pattern that has emerged. The Mystery of the Lord is the Church. Jesus is coming back for the church and at his coming there shall be blowing of the last trump. When the church of Jesus is caught up to meet him in the clouds the mystery of the Lord will indeed be completed, just as it was declared to the prophets.

I write now to my brethren who are the natural born seeds of Abraham; by these I mean my Jewish brethren. I celebrate you knowing that to you was committed the oracles of God and from you the greatest love story ever told came. Remember the promise of God to Abraham that through him all nations of the earth will be blessed. See, the promise has come to the one to whom it belongs, that is, Christ Jesus. I rejoice exceedingly now because I can say along with you that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is my God. This promise was that which the prophets of old kept looking at and searching what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified before hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. This same Christ is that seed of whom it was written: "her seed... shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel". The heel of Christ was bruised by the serpent, the Devil, when he was hung on the cross, and, He bruised the head of this serpent by defeating him in the resurrection from the dead. This same Christ became a curse because cursed is anyone who is hung on a tree so that now, the blessing of Abraham has become a global phenomenon. This is how God has made all nations blessed through Abraham. This mystery was kept hidden from the foundation of the world till the appointed time. The appointed time started when the message of the Kingdom began to be preached that all can be saved through Christ and that there is no other name given among men by which they may be saved. So, salvation first came to the Jews and now through them this salvation has gone to the whole of the world.

" _O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen". (Rom 11:33-36)_

#  5 The Elect

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Mat 24:22

Who are the elect? The Greek word eklektos is what was translated as elect and was used 24 times in various ways in the New Testament: 13 times as elect; 7 times as chosen; 3 times as elect's; and once as elected. The table that follows shows a breakdown of the various contexts in which this word was used. This is not a matter of statistical analysis but a bid to get the sense of the way the Lord Jesus and the early church used the word elect. We find that of times that the authors of the epistles used the word they were referring it to an individual Christian or a body of believers. Also, the Apostle Peter used the word to describe the Lord Jesus as well as a body of believer separately in the same chapter (1st Peter 2:4, 6 & 9). In a place though, the angels of the Lord were described as elect angels.

Now, we must understand that coming into Christ Jesus is an election (1 Thes 1:4, 2 Pet 1:10). Some might say since salvation is by election, then anyone that is not saved must have not been elected. Not so beloved! The election is for all, for all are already elected. The question is would you accept the election. All men are elected for salvation, it is their choice whether or not to accept it or not. Hear what he says:

While it is said, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. Heb 3:15

The only one that will have an excuse before the Father on that day is one who never heard the message of Christ. But there actually is no such person. Hear what Paul wrote on this:

" _For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (13) (For not the hearers of the law_ are _just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. (14) For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: (15) Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and_ their _thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) (16) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel". Rom 2:12-16_

As many will give their acceptance speech to this election of God will be called the sons of God. All men are elected to be saved by the death and resurrection of Christ because Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. Thus all have become qualified to be saved. It is those that confess the Lord Jesus and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead that will indeed be saved. This same would also be called the elect. In other words, the elect are those who have chosen to receive salvation that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ with no reference to tribe, tongue or nationality. In the greeting in one of his epistles Apostle Peter wrote thus: "...to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, (2) Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" (2Pe1:10).

This election was the same way the Lord chose Israel as His possession forever and through them extends His grace to the whole world. That was the promise He gave Father Abraham when He told him that all the nations of the world will be blessed through him. This promise was fulfilled when Jesus Christ came to die for the sin of the whole world. No wonder Paul wrote that all the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen. It means for any who believers in Christ he has become a partaker of the promises that God has given in the scriptures whether Old or New Testament because he/she has become a seed of Abraham. Please follow this link to  download a tabular display of the usage of the word 'Elect' in the New Testament

We find another word translated as a variant of elect: ekloge. This was used as 'election' six times and as 'chosen' once. In the usage of this word, the people of Israel were referred to as the election at least twice. But it should be noted that the usage were all in association with the Grace that is to be found is Christ Jesus. We can therefore say that Christ is the central point of election and it is up to man (no matter his designation) to refuse or to accept. So election is not a one sided decision of God. It is also the choice of man.

However, the children of Abraham by natural birth are still the elect of God; though not as individuals but as a nation. Each individual Jew still has to make a decision whether or not to follow the Lord Jesus. Israel as a nation will be restored, but this will be at the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Apostle Paul showed this when he wrote:

_And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (27) For this_ is _my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. (28) As concerning the gospel,_ they are _enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election,_ they are _beloved for the fathers' sakes. (Rom 11:26-28)_

The same promise of redemption and salvation for the nation of Israel was what was prophesied by the Prophet Ezekiel in Eze39: 25-29 and this promise of the Lord to Israel wait to be fulfilled. Paul tells us that the Israelites will be grafted back into the olive tree. The grafting back will be one of the most glorious events yet. The grafting back will be at the time when the Lord Jesus comes again and the Israel as a nation recognises him as the Messiah indeed (see Zech 12: 10).

We have been able to establish that election is by accepting the finished works of redemption through the Lord Jesus whether a Jew or a Gentile (see Romans 2: 8 – 11): there is no difference. Thanks be to the Lord many Jews are now coming to the knowledge of truth in the Lord Jesus and getting born again even as the message of the Cross is reaching more and more people all over the world. We see that the elect of God are those that come to God through Christ whether Jew or Gentile. There is no such thing as replacement, rather the two have become one, for he has made a man of the two, according to Eph 2:15-16: " Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (16) And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:" This is the mystery that God has kept hidden since the foundation of the world: that He will reconcile all things to himself through the Lord Jesus.

Those places where the usage of the word ekletos did not clearly specify to whom it referred has been the main point of departure on the issue of who the elect are. Of the eight times that the subject of the word elect was not specified, seven where used in the portion of scriptures where Jesus taught his disciples about the signs of His coming. The eight was used in the book of Revelations concerning those that were with the Lamb who are said to be chosen and faithful. We can however infer from all the foregone that concerning the days of the tribulation being shortened because of the elect: these elect are both Jews and gentiles, any person at all, who has accepted the Lordship of Jesus. The criteria to be an elect is to accept the Lordship of Christ.

#  6 The Antichrist

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (4) Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" 2nd The 2:3-4

A certain personality is described in scriptures: The Man of Sin; the Son of Perdition; the Beast. This man is also called the Antichrist. The descriptions given of him describe the workings which he will work when he comes around for he is yet to come in person – at least he is yet to be revealed. This man is the one of whom scriptures says the dragon (the devil) will give his power, his seat and great authority. He will be an embodiment of everything anti-God. Because the Devil is the god of this world, this man will have control over the whole system of the world. He will be amazement to many; though a man he will be worshipped as a god and afterwards he will demand worship as God otherwise death. There have been arguments whether this man of sin is an actual human or an institution. Since the scripture refers to him as a man (e.g. man of sin) then it is just safe to take him literarily as a human man.

Let us now consider the activities of the Antichrist in relation to the second coming of the Lord:

" _Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; ...(6) And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. (7) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth_ will let _, until he be taken out of the way. (8) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" 2Th 2: 3, 6-8_

First, scripture says that the coming of the Lord Jesus will not occur until this man of sin is revealed (2nd Thes 2:3). This gives a lot to think about. The day of the Christ will not come until the antichrist is unveiled. We take the day of the Christ here as the day Jesus will come back seeing from subsequent verses that Jesus will destroy the antichrist by the brightness of his coming on the day of the Christ. In clear words, scripture says that the antichrist will have to be revealed first before Jesus comes back. Now, scripture also says that there is someone preventing the revealing of the Antichrist. This one has to be taken out of the way before the antichrist can be revealed. It has been taught that the body of Christ (the Church) on earth is the one being referred to as preventing the revelation of the Antichrist. This means that the catching up of the saints will need to occur first for the antichrist to be revealed. However to follow this line of teaching means that Jesus is coming back twice. The first time will be when he comes to catch up the saints and the second time will be when he comes to destroy the antichrist since scripture clearly states that:

1. The day of Christ (when he will come again) will only come **AFTER** the man of sin has been revealed (2nd Thes 2:3) whom He (Christ) will destroy by the brightness of His coming;

AND,

2. When the saints will be caught up, the Lord himself will descend (1st Thes 4:16).

We see here three events: the revelation of the antichrist, the coming of our Lord and the catching up of the saints. The coming of the Lord **HAS** to be preceded by the revelation of the Antichrist, but we know that it is on the day of the Lord, when he (Christ) descends that the saints will be caught up. Invariably the saints will be caught up when Jesus returns after the revelation of the man of sin. Notice that scripture says in 2Th 1:1"...by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and _by_ our gathering together unto him". People have often interpreted scripture chronologically and an argument can be made that, if nothing else, the order of the occurrence of events is first the coming of our Lord and then the gathering of the saints to him. Also we will notice that the only coming of the Lord that the apostle talked about is the one that will be preceded by the revelation of the man of sin and he did not in any way separate this coming from the gathering of the saints to the Lord (which obviously is the catching up of the saints). We can therefore say this: the day of the Lord will not come and, invariably, the saints will not be gathered to Him until the man of sin is revealed. In all the places that the Apostle Paul wrote about the second coming of the Lord Jesus and catching up of the saints in his epistles, he always described a very dramatic event. He left no room for anyone to say that the Lord will come quietly to take the believers away. There is no scripture that expressly supports the notion that the Lord Jesus will come to secretly catch the saints up. We have already considered the expression 'like a thief in the night" as describing the awareness of His coming not the events at His coming. Thus, the second coming of the Lord Jesus is not twofold neither is there a third coming: there is no dichotomy in the catching up of the saints and the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Thus it is not the body of Christ that is preventing the revelation of the man of sin since Jesus will be coming to catch them up only after the man of sin has been revealed.

It is also taught that the saints will be caught up in the clouds and this is true for the Lord himself will descend in the clouds and catch up the saints in the clouds.

" _For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive_ and _remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive_ and _remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord". 1Th 4:15-17_

Indeed, the Lord will descend in the clouds and we will be caught up to meet him in the clouds and will remain with him forever. But he (and invariably us) will not remain in the clouds because when He descends in the clouds He is coming to establish His millennial reign of the earth. We will reign with him then!

" _And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and_ I saw _the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received_ his _mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This_ is _the first resurrection. Blessed and holy_ is _he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years". Rev 20:4-6_

Blessed are we because we will partake in the first resurrection, that is, as many of us that are of Christ's at His coming. This first resurrection is what through the years has been called the rapture; what scriptures aptly describe as to "be caught up". The teaching in many circles implies that the Lord will make what seems to be two appearings in his second coming. The first supposedly is when he will descend in the clouds and believers both dead and alive will be caught up to meet him in the clouds. The second supposedly is when he will come to rule the earth in the millennial reign after the tribulation. The first supposedly is nearly secret, the second open, spectacular and explosive. However what scriptures says is that at the time he will come back, himself will descend in the clouds in great power and glory, with a great shout, the voice of the arch angel and the sound of the last trumpet and all eyes shall see him. It is also at that time he will give his angels charge to gather his own to himself both those that have died and those still living. This is the catching up of the saints to meet the Lord in the clouds. Please carefully consider the scripture below:

" _Behold, I have told you before. (26) Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold,_ he is _in the secret chambers; believe_ it _not. (27) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (28) For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. (29) Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (30) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. "Mat 24:25-31_

_He will descend from the heavens in the clouds and we will be caught up to be with him in the clouds. Scriptures say that this descent will be in the full view of all men: "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him..." (Rev 1:7). We will go with him, wherever he goes and we will be with him forever. He is coming to rule the earth for a thousand years, so we will come with him to rule the earth for a thousand years. What a blessedness to partake of this millennial reign of Christ: "Blessed and holy_ is _he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev 20:6). The teaching of the two second comings is usually strengthened by saying that God has promised to save the believers from the wrath to come. We will see later that the activity of the Antichrist during the tribulation period is not the wrath of God but the wrath of the devil (cf.Rev 12:17)._

Notice that the vial of the wrath of God in Revelations 16 were only poured after the last trump had been blown in Revelations 10. We have already established that this last trump is the last trump that Paul said will precede the catching up of the saints (see Chapter 4). Indeed the believers would escape the wrath to come because it is after the 7th trumpet has been blown that the angels with the vials of God's wrath will start to pour out the wrath of God on the Earth. Thus the believers will be saved indeed from the wrath to come. We see therefore that the church is not the one preventing the revelation of the man of sin. Otherwise Jesus will have to come first before the revelation of the man of sin to catch up the saints and come again to destroy the antichrist. This is obviously not consistent with scriptures and will create logical error when scripture is compared with scripture.

Some have also taught that the Holy Spirit is the one preventing the revelation of the Antichrist. Let's take a look at this. If the presence of the Holy Spirit is what is preventing the revelation of the Antichrist then when the Antichrist is finally revealed, no one can get born again or even serve God; neither can anyone have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Scripture says that unless a man is born of water (the Word) and of the Spirit be cannot be saved (John 3:5) meaning there is no salvation without the Holy Spirit. This will translate to no one being able to get born again once the Antichrist is revealed since the Holy Spirit has been taken away. But scriptures show us something contrary. Scripture records that at the time of the antichrist many were saved (e.g. the beheaded saints who refused to receive the mark of the beast).

" _This I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;... (13) And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? (14) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb". Rev 7:9, 13-14_

" _And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and_ I saw _the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received_ his _mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years". Rev 20:4_

Seeing that we need the Holy Spirit to be saved and according to scriptures there were many that believed at this time, the Holy Spirit will still be on the earth during the period and could possibly not be the one that is preventing the revelation of the Antichrist. Along with this teaching that Holy Spirit is the one preventing the revelation of the Antichrist is another that in the period of the Antichrist, Grace will be no more available. It will only follow simply again that no person will be saved at all in the period because salvation is by Grace through faith (Eph 2:8). What saves is Grace not even faith though we must have faith in the Grace. Again if people are saved during the time of the antichrist as scriptures say then Grace must still be available. Furthermore we can only continue in salvation by the very Grace with which we started it.

" _Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God". Rom 5:1-2_

Thus the period of the antichrist does not mark the end of the GRACE of God on earth. If people will not be saved by grace then what will save them? It goes against the very basics of the salvation message that people should be saved without grace. Some have even said in that time people will pay for salvation with their own blood. There is only one sacrificial lamb that was slain and His name is Jesus. There is only one shed blood that can cause remission of sins. There is no other sacrifice for sin apart from the one Jesus paid **(** Heb 10:26 **).** When people are martyred because of their faith in Christ they are not paying the price for salvation, they are paying the price for being faithful witnesses to Christ.

What then is preventing the revelation of the antichrist? I will like to state straight away that I do not know. However I will leave a pointer but everyone should search and consider these things for themselves. I will draw your attention again to where Paul gave conditions for the revelation of the man of sin: "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way"(2Th 2:6-7). The only thing I will say is that this person that 'lets' may constitute a body of authority that can prevent a single man from taking over the control of the world system. When this body of authority is put out of the way then the Antichrist will be revealed. Even if this authority is the Holy Spirit as many have said, He will only be 'taken out of the way' of preventing the full revelation of Antichrist and not completely become absent from the earth based on the reasons earlier discussed.

When the Antichrist shall be unveiled he will come on the platform of peace and make a treaty with the people of God, the Jews. They will be so moved and amazed and say that this must be the messiah God said would come. He will purport to restore the kingdom and even seem to fulfill many of the prophecies about the Messiah. He will be a master of intrigue. He will also possess great power and charisma. They won't immediately realize that he has come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. It will be strange to unbelievers why anyone will not follow this man. He will get the temple in Jerusalem rebuilt and sacrifices will be offered again as of old. In the middle of it all, he will break the covenant he made with Israel and install himself in the temple to be worshipped as God. He will become the abomination that causes desolation. Then, the Jews will know that this is not the messiah to come; that this one is evil and of the enemy. He will take the world by storm and establish a world government having tight control over business and commerce. All must worship him and receive his mark on a specific part of their bodies. Many will stand boldly in those days bearing the testimony of Jesus. The Jewish nation will start to repent and mourn having realized that Jesus Christ is the Messiah that was sent of the Father. In not many days Jesus will descend in the clouds with a shout, the voice of the arch angel and the blowing of the trump. The dead in Christ shall rise first and those of us that are alive and remain at his coming will be caught up in the air to be with him forever.

The Spirit of the Antichrist is already at work

The spirit of the antichrist is already at work. In fact it has been at work since the days of the first Apostles. There has been one preventing the revelation of the man and this will go on until the time comes for his revelation. The world system is tending towards unification starting from monetary unions going on to political and perhaps geographical unions: these are the signs of the time. Many things go on behind the scene of world politics and business. Many of these workings are in the dark. The time is not yet ripe for their revelation even though there is increasing boldness in the revealing these things.

" _Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time". 1Jn 2:18_

" _And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that_ spirit _of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world". 1Jn 4:3_

Let each person be careful how they use the substance of the world because this world is not our final destination. We are looking forward to a city not built by hands, whose builder and architect is the Lord himself. Let us run with patience the race set before us that we may be like them who through faith and patience inherit the promise. Let us fight the good fight, lay hold on eternal life, run the race, finish the course and keep the faith.

" _But this I say, brethren, the time_ is _short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; (30) And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; (31) And they that use this world, as not abusing_ it _: for the fashion of this world passeth away". 1Co 7:29-31_

#  7 Condition for 'Rapture'

"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil". John 3:17-19

A question that rages in the heart of many believers from time to time is whether they are at the moment qualified for what we know as rapture. In congregational meetings, prayers like "May we all remain 'rapturable', in Jesus' name" are often spoken. Also when messages about the end time and rapture are taught, there is often soberness and lots of 'repentance'. It has even become an issue of fear for many. For instance, waking up in the middle of the night not finding a partner that you were in the room with before you slept, trepidation and fear break out: has he/she been 'ruptured', particularly that you know him/her to be a faithful Christian. The door opens: alas, he/she only went to ease him/herself. You do a quick repentance but it doesn't last for long because soon you are back to the old lukewarm way of life. Also many claim that only God knows those that will 'make' heaven. For many, 'making' heaven has become the sole purpose of their Christian life.

These behaviours are born out of ignorance of what salvation is and what it has brought us. Someone reading this book would be perhaps shocked to find a Christian saying making heaven is not the life ambition of the believer. Indeed it is not the sole purpose of being saved. It is a continuation of what started here for we are God's workmanship and he created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Those good works are first on earth and then in eternity. If we live with the mind set of 'just make heaven' we will live a low quality Christian life because; it means we don't understand what we were saved from or what we've been saved into. A minister once asked his congregation: 'how many of you want to go to heaven?' The whole congregation enthusiastically lifted their hands. Then he said: "what do you want to do that for? Don't you know that heaven and earth will pass away but the Word of the Lord shall not pass away". The lesson here is that we should stay with the word and what the word says. We should not mindlessly follow religion. We should be 'Berean' enough to search things out for ourselves. To understand rapture and its condition(s) therefore, we must have a proper understanding of salvation. As you read these words I ask of the Lord again that He will grant you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: so that the eyes of your understanding will be flooded with light; and you will know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His exceeding great power which is available on behalf of those who believe, Amen.

The What, How and When of salvation

Salvation means to be saved and safe: saved from sin and safe from its consequences. The big problem of man after his fall was that sin had become his master. Through one man Adam, sin came into this world. With sin came corruption. This corruption did not affect only man but also the whole of creation. Little wonder the whole creation is looking forward to the day it will be set free from the bondage it was subjected to by the fall of man (Rom 8:20-22). When we come into Christ, we escape this corruption (2 Pet 1:4). When we were sinners, we were enemies of God, but we are reconciled back to God by accepting His salvation plan for us. Through the man Adam, sin and death entered into the world; but through the man Jesus Christ, the free gift of Grace abounds unto all that believe. Salvation means to be translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God. Formerly we were under the dictatorship of the god of this world, that is Satan, the one in who sin was found in the beginning (1st Jo 3:8). Our lives were dominated by the desires and influences of this tyrannical ruler. For some people the rule of the tyrant was destructive: all manners of habits and death dealing behaviors. We were all subject to the authority of the Devil. We sowed seeds in uncleanness and iniquity and only yielded more iniquity. Any good we could produce was always laced with the corruption of the fallen nature. We were like a dirty cup; no matter what clean fluid was poured into us, it would always be contaminated when poured out. This situation was not deliberate on our side it just was the case because all had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. However, Christ came for us to set us free from the dominion of darkness. He did this by taking the punishment due us. He didn't just take our place, he actually became sin (1st Cor 5:21). It has been written that the soul that sins would die, therefore he died in our stead. He went to the grave bearing the consequence of our fallen nature then on the third day he rose up from the dead victorious over sin and death. Now he says anyone that believes in him can benefit from the victory he has won. As a matter of truth, for any one that believes, it would be as though the very person was the one that won that victory. Now being in Christ we are no longer subjects of the evil ruler; we are now fellow heirs of God with those who believe on the Lord Jesus. The high marker of this change is that all these happen by just believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. And yes, there is no other name given under heaven by which men must/can be saved except the name of Jesus. Which other person was born of virgin birth? Which other person was hung on that cross for the sins of the world, was buried and rose again? Indeed, no other person qualifies for this but the Jesus. No wonder the Father gave him a name that is above every other name.

Sin Nature and Actions of Sins

We have discussed a little about the sin of Adam and how it has affected the whole world. The scriptures in Rom 3:23 said, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". The question I will answer now is: exactly how did all men sin? The sin that all men have sinned is not the daily acts of sinning such as lying, stealing, killing fornication and the like. Those are merely actions of sins. Scriptures give us at least four definitions of the action of sin:

1. And he that doubteth is damned if he eats, because he eateth not of faith: **for whatsoever is not of faith is sin**. (Rom 14:23)

2. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (Jas 4:17)

3. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: **for sin is the transgression of the law**. (1Jn 3:4)

4. **All unrighteousness is sin** : and there is a sin not unto death. (1Jn 5:17)

However, what men got from Adam is the NATURE of sin. This is the reason all men have sinned whether they have committed an action of sin or not. They have the very nature of sin they acquired from Adam. It is for this reason that being a moralist will never solve the sin problem. The problem here is not what is done but who the person is. The nature of sin can be likened to a tree that bears poisonous fruits. The permanent solution to destroying the tree is uprooting it. It makes little sense to come from time to time to pluck off all the fruits. It will simply bear them the next season. This is what the religions of the world seek to do. They seek to tame the sin nature in man by doing all kinds of things to remove its fruits. Some others manage to prune the sin nature to limit its fruitfulness. None has ever been successful. At best they create morally good men but the sin nature is still present. Their impacts are only temporary and cannot last beyond the present physical world. Man needs something that can translate into eternity because it has been appointed to man once to die and after that judgment. The permanent solution is uprooting the tree. This is what Jesus offers us in the new birth. Scripture tells us that:

" _Therefore if any man_ be _in Christ,_ he is _a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" 2Co 5:17_

The old nature of sin is removed and a new nature is given to the person. It makes no sense at all to tell man that is a sinner by nature to stop sinning. It is like telling a dog never to bark. It is natural for a sinner to sin. As a matter of truth what makes a sinner a sinner is not the actions of sin he commits, but the nature of sin he inherited as a human being born of flesh and blood. At best, what the religions of the world can achieve is a 'manicured' and 'pedicured' sin nature.

Please understand that no one will be condemned in the eternal judgment of God for lying, stealing, killing fornication and the like. No one will go to hell just because he committed fornication and adultery. Consider the following scripture:

" _Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; (11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged". John 16:7-11_

Notice that the comforter will not reprove the world of sin because of lies, stealing, killing, fornication and the like. Rather the reproof of sin is that they did not believe in God's way of being made right with him, that is Jesus Christ. Unbelief is the sin that will bring eternal condemnation. The message of stop sinning so that you can be saved is not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus; neither is the one that says stop sinning otherwise you will go to hell. Even if he/she manages to stop sinning, he/she will still go to hell if he/she does not believe on Jesus. Obviously, news of eternal condemnation cannot be good news. The good news is that sinners don't have to perish in hell any longer. All they need to do is to believe on the Lord Jesus: the sin nature will be taken from them and they will receive the power to overcome every action of sin. John the Baptist said something that is very illustrative when he saw Jesus:

" _The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world". John 1:29_

You will notice scripture uses here the sin (singular) and not the sins (plural) of the world. I asked the question, did the world commit only one sin? The understanding came to me that the sin of the world indeed is singular and it is this: UNBELIEF. Many people who have chosen not to believe on the Lord Jesus for various reasons ranging from sentiments to ignorance will find out they could have so easily escaped eternal condemnation. The simplicity of the message will be clear then. But must we wait for that time to discover the truth that is so obvious. Herein lays the simplicity of the message of the Cross. All you need to do to become a member of the kingdom of God is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and confess him as your Lord

" _For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God". John 3:17-18_

So please understand that the sin problem is dealt with in Jesus Christ. The ONLY way to get out of the sin problem is by believing on Him. A sinner does not have the power over sin. He may tame it but can NEVER overcome it. However when he comes in to Christ there is a change, the old nature of sin goes and the new man arrives. Sin cannot have dominion over this new man. He that is born of God overcomes the world. Since we have died to sin we do not live under it any longer as to submit ourselves to it. This is the victory that overcomes the world and all the lust that is in it, even our faith. By the promises the Lord has given us through Jesus Christ, we become partakers of the very nature of God and we escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Salvation comes only by believing in the Lord Jesus. As a matter of truth there are only two things a man must do to be saved:

" _That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved". Rom 10:9_ (Emphasis mine)

If we agree with the authority and integrity of the word of God then we will see that a man only needs to confess with his mouth that Jesus is his Lord and believe in his heart that God indeed raised Jesus from the dead then he will be saved. What about confessing his sins? Scriptures did not say he needed to confess his sins, it just said confess the Lordship of Jesus. Please follow me closely here. The problem of man is not the actions of sins he has been committing but the nature of sin Adam got and passed on to every man. Why do you think scripture said for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? It was the sin nature that the prophet meant. Salvation comes simply be calling on the name of the Lord. The story is told of a man who heard a preacher say any who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Having been convicted in his heart, he came forward and shouted 'Jesus' about three times and turned back. Everyone wonder what he was up. Even the preacher didn't quite get the import of what the man just did. When asked, he told them he just gave his life to Jesus. Someone said he needed to say the sinner's prayer and the man replied that the preacher had preached to them that all they needed to do was to call on the name of the Lord, he just did that and he must be saved unless the scriptures were not true. Please consider some of the following scripture and understand it is not the confession of past sins that gets a person saved. One just needs to believe on Jesus.

John 3:16 NLT "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who BELIEVES in him will not perish but have eternal life.

_John 3:18 NLT " There is no judgment (_condemnation _) awaiting those who trust (_ believe _) him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God._

Repentance is different from confession. Repentance essentially means to change one's mind about a thing. Confession of sins will not take the nature of sin away. If all we needed to do to be saved was confess our past sins (and that if we can remember them all) then Jesus did not need to come to die on the cross. God would just get the message across to us through his angels and we would confess and be forgiven. If all that Jesus did was to forgive the actions of sins we had ever committed then he would need to die again and again every time we sinned for the sins to be forgiven. This is why the blood of bulls and rams which cannot take the sin nature away had to be offered over and over again. However God gave a permanent solution to the sin problem. He made provision for removal of the very source of offence which is the sin nature all men inherited from Adam.

_Heb 9:24-26 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands,_ which are _the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: (25) Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; (26) For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself._

Hallelujah! The sin nature has been dealt with in Christ Jesus. We have been set free from the power of sin. Sin shall no longer have dominion over us. The religions of this world can only try to tame the old man (the sin nature). Some are ruthless about it, inflicting all the punishment on the container: the body. All kinds of rules, regulations and harsh treatment are meted on the body. After all the only part of man they can really see is his body. Indeed the character of the sin nature is made manifest through the body. This character is called the works of the flesh (Gal 5:19). Some others attempt all kinds of tricks on the soul through meditation and all what not: all of this having no impact on the dead spirit of man. Others do a nice manicure on the container. The idea is that a nicely package sin nature is better than the unrefined sin nature. However the problem is not the type of sin nature that exists but that the sin nature exists at all. What needs change is not the character of the sin nature but that the whole of the sin nature needs to be replaced

What Salvation has brought us

Salvation in Christ Jesus brings us to our wealthy place. Only eternity can reveal the full extent of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross on our behalf. Below are listed a little from the long list of things Salvation has brought to us

1. Translated from the kingdom of Darkness into the kingdom of Jesus (Col 1:14)

2. Made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2nd Corin 5:21)

3. We have became sons of God (John 1:12) by adoption (Rom 8:15)

4. Our bodies have became the temple of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1st Corin 3:16, 1st Corin 6:19)

5. We are accepted in the beloved (Eph 1:6) i.e. we are accepted as Jesus the beloved is accepted

6. We've become partakers of the Divine Nature (2nd Peter 1:4)

7. We have the hope of redemption of our bodies (Rom 8:23)

8. We have escaped the corruption in the world through lust (2nd Peter 1:4)

9. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph2:6)

10. We've been justified (Roman 8:30 )

11. We've been sanctified (1st Corin 1:30)

12. We've been set free from the power of sin (Romans 6:2, 11)

13. We are now a royal priesthood (1st Peter 2:9)

14. We are a holy people (1st Corin. 3:17, Eph 1:4)

15. We are Kings and Priests (Rev 1:6)

16. We have access to the throne of Grace( Heb 4:16)

17. We have peace with God (Romans 5:1)

18. We are heirs of the Father and joint heirs with the son (Rom 8:17)

19. We are the elect i.e. predestinated (Rom 8:30)

20. We've been glorified (Rom 8:30)

Righteousness and Holiness

Salvation confers righteous. Anyone one that becomes saved immediately becomes righteous. Righteousness is to have a right standing with the Almighty God i.e. faultless, without any guilt or record of wrong doing. There are two types of righteousness. The first is the righteousness of the Law. This is the righteousness that one acquires by obeying a set of codes of conduct. This same righteousness was the one that was codified in the Law that was delivered to Moses. Of this righteousness Moses spoke in Deut 6:25 "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us." The kind of righteousness he spoke of here is got by doing things; obeying some codes and doing good things, this by one's own strength (observation; effort; diligent application). David and Job in the parlance of their understanding would ascribe righteousness to themselves as something they had to work out solely by their own effort (Ps 18:20, Job 34:5). Scripture however made it clear to us that it was impossible for any man to fulfill this law and therefore attain unto perfection.

One of the earliest references to the word righteousness in the scriptures was what was written about Abraham: "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Gen 15:6). Now, notice that it did not say "and he obeyed the commandments of the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness". Nor did it say "And he was a good and holy man before the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness". The question to ask then is how only merely believing (in God) can make one righteous. Consider this truth: God does not need us in order to be anything he is. With or without us he remains the same. Our good does not make him better and our bad do not make him worse. He is the everlasting unchangeable one in whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning. We are the ones that need him. He says to us that no good we can do can satisfy him and he requires of us nothing but complete trust and reliance on him. The way then to be made right in the sight of God is by trusting in Him completely. Not by doing good works, no: simply by trusting God, after all, what good work had Abraham done? To trust in the Father is by believing in the Son. No wonder the Son says: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes the Father, but by me". The command that has gone forth now is that we should believe on the Lord Jesus. Now it will require faith (believing) to agree with God that you are in his good books simply because you have confessed His son Jesus as your Lord. Your mind will ask you: "is that all"? Don't I need to do something else, you know... fast, pray fervently, be pious, change the type of clothes I wear, the type of hairstyle I do, stop wearing jewelleries etc"? Consider this: This righteousness is like being born as a baby with no past (cf. 2nd Corin 5:17). Does a baby boy need to do anything else to be a male? Absolutely not! He was born a male and male he will remain. He will only have to grow into the fullness of his maleness. So also when we come into Christ we are made righteous. We cannot become any more or less righteous. We do not again seek a code of conduct embodied in laws that emphasize our own works above what Jesus did for us by going to the cross. It was this that Paul meant when he wrote in Gal 2:21 "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." It is wrong for Christians to live in the ignorance of this truth often being more aware of the sins that they committed than the Grace of God through Jesus Christ by which they were forgiven completely. And this is the Grace of God: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness". David also described the blessedness of the man to whom God inputs righteousness without works (see Rom 4:5&6). The Apostle Paul's desire was this: to be found in Christ Jesus not having his own (Paul's) own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ; the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil 3:9). Righteousness is to be without guilt or condemnation. It is not about what we do but who we are. We don't do good works to be righteous. We become righteous by believing on the Lord Jesus. This righteousness is now our nature just as much as sin nature used to be our nature. Now we are righteous not because we have not committed any sin since we confessed Jesus as our Lord but because we have confessed Jesus as our Lord and we believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead. This is the Grace of God: that those who were once sinners can become the righteousness of God. Please understand that this righteousness has nothing to do with what you do or don't do. It is a free gift of God. It is not by good works which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost (see Tit 3:5)

Righteousness is also the state of being made right by God before God and everything else. We have been made right in all affairs of life: In Heaven (Heb 4:16); On Earth (Rom 8:31-39, 1st Corin 4:3); under the earth, before principalities and powers (Rom 8:33-39). It doesn't matter now anyone's opinion about us. There is no condemnation for us. The devil cannot accuse us anymore. He can only lie about us. The blood of Abel asked for vengeance: that accusing voice shouting: He is guilty! He is guilty! However, the blood of Jesus speaks better things concerning us. It speaks peace to those that are far and those that are near. It speaks mercy and grace. It speaks: It is finished! The price for sin has been paid; loose them and let them go. Let them go and serve the Lord their God. No weapon fashioned against us can prosper anymore. Now, we use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ. Part of this mighty weapon is the knowledge of our righteous i.e. righteousness consciousness.

Holiness is not the same thing as righteousness. While righteousness was conferred upon us, holiness is a product of the nature of righteousness. Righteousness is what we are in Christ. Holiness is what we do with what we have become in Christ. Just as a fruit cannot be formed without its tree so is holiness with righteousness. According to the Webster dictionary, holiness is "The state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity". Applied to the Supreme Being, holiness denotes perfect purity or integrity of moral character, one of his essential attributes." The holiness that is propagated in main stream Christianity has been made to fit into a model of works of the law. A man that seeks to be holy by keeping the Law is actually sinning because he is not seeking to be holy by faith and anything done outside faith is sin. Such teachings seek to conform men to codes of conduct embodied in laws that emphasize our own works above what Jesus did for us by going to the cross. Paul discussed this succinctly in Col 2:16-23:

" _Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath_ days _: (17) Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body_ is _of Christ. (18) Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (19) And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. (20) Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (21) (Touch not; taste not; handle not; (22) Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? (23) Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."_

The law is good but it makes nothing perfect. It is Christ fulfilling the requirement of the Law that made the difference. Therefore holiness like every other thing in Christ is by faith. We know however that faith without works is dead. This is what needs to be understood by all: our works in Christ must proceed from the consciousness that we have been accepted already by the Lord; that there is no condemnation for us; that there is nothing wrong with us; that we are righteous already. Such work is holy sacrifice. This is the sacrifice that is not corrupted by the flesh. It is sweet smelling savor unto the Lord. This is the beauty of holiness. Again I say this: Faith without works is dead; but works without faith is Sin! Remember that faith is apart from the Law. Let us put an end to slaving under those laws hoping God will accept us on the last day. Let us come to that place of the spirit of adoption by which we cry Abba, Father. We are sons already; we are not trying to be. The kingdom of God is not in eating or drinking; neither is holiness a matter of dress code because it is by faith. However the love of God constrains us in our actions because we know that all things are lawful but not all things are expedient (1Co 6:12).

There are two sides to holiness:

Sanctification: This is a state of purity in body, soul and spirit: the absence of sin in terms of the actual act of sin. Note however that it is the absence of acts of sin and not merely the act of not sinning. It is the continuous purification by the blood of The Lamb that was slain. Jesus is our sanctification and continues to be so eternally. We must however know it is in the removal of the sin nature through confession of the Lordship of Jesus that one becomes set apart, i.e. sanctified, unto the Lord. We already know that the sin nature is taken away at the point of getting saved (2ndCorin 5:17). Therefore sanctification is first a work of faith by accepting (through believing) in the finished and efficacious work of Christ when he died and rose again and thus became our sanctification. Again, understand that sanctification is not the act of not sinning: it is the state of being continuously purified by the blood in the forgiveness of sins. Call that radical but it is true. Who has stayed so pure yet without offending in any way since he/she believed in the Lord Jesus?

"For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body". Jas 3:2

The blood of Jesus is like a fountain continually flowing for the purification from every action of sin

" _In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness". Zech 13:1_

" _But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us_ our _sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". 1Jn 1:7-9_

" _My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for_ the sins of _the whole world". 1Jn 2:1-2_

So when we claim holiness by what we do rather than by who makes us holy, that is spiritual pride. Jesus has become our sanctification i.e. the one that makes us holy. Someone will say there is no such thing as holiness by faith, that it is a practical thing and has to do with what you do or do not do. If this is our thinking then we are saying that our holiness is by our own efforts. It will be immediately obvious to the spiritually learned person that this thought is against the very spirit of Grace by which we were saved.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" Eph 2:8

The thought of many is that after salvation they are the ones responsible (entirely by their natural human efforts) for keeping themselves in holy. They must know that just as we got born again by faith we will remain in the faith (and indeed holiness) by faith through grace.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God". Rom 5:1-2

Again holiness is not first the doing it is a making. We have been made the holy people of God by sanctification and we will remain so by remaining in the same faith that brought us to that point. The point to make is that sanctification is of the spirit and is by the blood of the lamb. What makes holy is the blood not the works.

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied". 1Pe 1:2

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" Eph 1:7

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" Col 1:14

So why is there so much reference to walking in holiness if it is the blood that makes holy? That is what we will call the responsibility of faith. Faith by itself is dead without corresponding action. The corresponding action to the holiness by faith is good works. Know for certain that it is not the good works that makes holy, just like it is not the gift on the altar that makes the altar holy; rather, it is the altar that that makes the gift holy. It is because we are righteous that we can practice holiness. Our good works must be a direct outflow of the grace we have received. That is why we do not boast about ourselves or our works. We lay no claim to any goodness in our selves (Rom 7:24). Rather we stand on the platform of the name of Christ and offer our sacrifices to the Lord. We do this knowing that nothing we do by ourselves can please the Father, except when we do it in/by Christ (Heb 11:6).

Thus, the other side to holiness is the bearing of fruits (of salvation) or fruitfulness. Consider the following scriptures carefully and you will see holes in them as in keys by which they are held together as a bunch.

"I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness". Rom 6:19

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life". Rom 6:22

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law". Gal 5:22-23

First, we see that when we cultivated our previous nature of sin and uncleanness, it only yielded more sin. However when we give ourselves to righteousness by cultivating the new nature we have it will produce holiness. Thus the cultivation of righteousness produces holiness. In order words, walking in righteousness produces holiness i.e. holiness is the fruit of righteousness. It is this same thought that is expressed in Romans 6: 19&22. Moving to the book of Galatians, we are told the Spirit produces certain fruit. Spirit here can be easily taken as referring to the Holy Spirit particularly becasue most bible translations use the capital 'S' for The Holy Spirit. Reading in context will reveal something different. The word Greek word 'pneuma' is translated spirit throughout the New Testament and it is only context that helps to know whether it is the spirit of man or the Spirit of God that is meant. The context in Gal 5:22 would appear to be the Spirit of God when read alone. If however we back up to verse 17 we read the following: "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would".

The Holy Spirit of God does not lust; talk less of lusting against our flesh. The Apostle James helps us here when he wrote that: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed" (James 1:13-14). Also remember when God said: "... My spirit shall not always strive with man..." (Gen 6:3) The lust is between the recreated spirit of a believer who is now aware of the removal of the sin nature but whose flesh which is not yet renewed or recreated. The Apostle Paul explained this commotion in his letter to the Romans:

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. (17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (21) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. (22) For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: (23) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members". Romans 7:15-23

It was the same spirit in verse 17 of Galatians 5 that the Apostle was referring to in verse 22 when he wrote about fruits. Though most translations imply the Holy Spirit in these verses, let us consider some interesting renditions of the verse 22:

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness (Amplified Bible)

God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful (Contemporary English Version)

But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (God's Word Translation)

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard\--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments (The Message)

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (New Living Translation)

The Spirit, on the other hand, brings a harvest of love, joy, peace; patience towards others, kindness, benevolence (1912 Weymouth New Testament)

It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in us that accomplishes the works but the work is accomplished in us and cannot be without us. That means we are a critical element in the bearing of this fruits. God's Spirit within us makes us to bear the fruits but it is us that bear the fruits. We produce the fruits by the help of the Spirit of God that dwells within us. Indeed it is the new spiritual nature that we have that produces these fruit by the operations of the Spirit of God in us when he controls our lives. Our lives are controlled by God when we get born again. After all, the scripture says he that does not have the Spirit of God is none of his (Rom 8:9) but we are of God if the spirit of the Lord dwells on our inside. We became the temple of the Holy Spirit when we got born again. He indwells us. He has made us his abode. So we see that it is our recreated born again human spirit that produces the fruits in Galatians 5:22. Therefore, if the fruit of the righteousness nature we now have is holiness and the fruit of our recreated human spirit is described as: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; we can then say that holiness is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Thus to be walk in holiness is to walk in the fruitfulness of the spirit. As a matter of truth the purest expression of holiness is agape love.

Righteousness consciousness and Sin Consciousness

Righteousness consciousness in the new man in Christ is the continuous awareness of God's nature of righteousness in him/her. It is that awareness that there is no condemnation against him/her. We have seen that holiness is the fruit of righteousness. If righteousness can bear fruits then righteousness can be cultivated. The cultivation of righteousness is righteousness consciousness. It is possible to have a thing and not know it. It is possible to have a character and not express it. It is like having money in the bank and not knowing about it. The new man in Christ must consciously and deliberately be aware of the new nature of God in him otherwise he will not give expression to it. There are so many things that can choke the believer from giving expression to righteousness; things both external and internal to him. The external things consist of the system of the world under the control of the devil. The internal things consist primarily of his flesh. Remember that it was the spirit of man that got born again and not his soul or flesh (body). He does have to put the body under control by the power of the Holy Spirit in him so that he can express the new life of holiness that emanates from his righteousness nature. Paul wrote that he puts his body under in this wise (1 Co 9:27). Elsewhere he said that we should present our bodies holy unto God (Rom 12:1). This is the same thing as keeping our bodies under. The other important component is the need to renew the mind. Before we got born again and even now that we are, our minds interacted with the system of the world and imbibed its culture (its way of doing things). By this we acquired mindsets which colours our world view. We get these mindsets from our family setting, education, books we read, movies we watch etc. Many of these mindsets are contrary to God and his ways. We need to have these mindsets changed in order for us to be at the same frequency with God. We have this mindsets changed by looking into the word of God and letting the Word of God be our mindset. In this manner, we only believe what God says no matter any contrary opinion. Lets consider Romans 12:2 in different translations:

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". KJV

"Don't become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants-what is good, pleasing, and perfect". (GW)

"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you" (MSG)

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is". (NLT)

The challenge many may have with bearing the fruit of holiness is that they are not aware of their new righteousness nature. They are more aware of the past sins even though God has forgiven them already. God says he is no longer counting our sins against us (2 Cor 5:19 NLT) so why do we count our sins against ourselves? Righteousness is the liberty of the sons of God. There is no voice of accusation against us because the blood of Jesus speaks better things (mercy and grace) than the blood of Abel (speaking vengeance and retribution). The way to walk in righteousness conscious is to 'mind' what we 'mind'. Paul said: "Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus". Our only consideration must be the Word of God. We must agree with what he says we are. We must have no contrary opinion to him. We must become of the same mind, after all, scriptures says we have the mind of Christ.

The other reason people have challenges manifesting holiness is sin consciousness. There is scarcely any one that can claim not to have done a wrong since he/she got born again. However when people who are born again commit sin, without the right consciousness of righteousness, guilt and condemnation takes advantage of them. It is so severe for some people that they even feel they have lost their salvation. First a man in Christ who sins, no matter the sin, (but not sin unto death as seen in I John 5, and discussed below) does not lose his salvation. Otherwise, he needs to get born again every time he sins no matter how 'big' or 'small' the sin is. What sin does is to break the fellowship that exists between the Christian and the Father. That fellowship can be amended by repentance through confession of the particular sin in question. The Christian needs to repent of the sin when he becomes aware of it. Sin does not break our relationship with God. He still remains our Father. Which man disowns his children each time they commit an offence. We being mere men do not disown our children in this manner, would the Almighty God?

Sin consciousness is the spirit of bondage to fear that makes the believer behave like a cowering fearful slave even though he is a full-fledged member of the family. We have been delivered from the fear of death whose sting is sin (1 Cor 15: 56). We are God's own children. Now we have as much right to the Father as Jesus does because we are heirs of the Father and joint heirs with the Son (Rom 8:17). Consider the following scriptures:

" _For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father". Rom 8:15_

" _So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family --calling him "Father, dear Father." Rom 8:15 NLT_

" _And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage". Heb 2:15_

Please note that the unbeliever repents by confessing the Lordship of Jesus and not confessing his/her sins (Rom 10:9) while a believer repents of specific sin that he has committed and has come awareness of by confessing that sin to the Father (1 Jn 1:9). He doesn't need to live from one sin confession to another, neither does he need to pray for forgiveness of sin of commission, omission and all such other things every time he prays. Living like this is living in the consciousness of sin. Anytime it comes to his awareness that he has done something wrong, he just needs to confess that particular sin and move on. For some people even after confessing a sin, they still feel guilty about it. Having repented of a wrong doing, if you come to God saying, "Father, remember the thing I did yesterday..." The Father will tell you, "Son (or daughter) I am not aware of any such wrong committed by you". When he forgives he forgets. He does not count up our sins. The unbeliever is ever sin conscious because he still has the nature of sin. The enemy uses sin consciousness as a trap to keep a believer in condemnation. Sin consciousness will only beget more sin (see chart below). Therefore leave it behind and live in the full awareness of your righteousness nature. In the chart below notice that it is the sin nature that confers eternal death and not actions of sin. Also, take note that it is only by committing the unpardonable sin can a man loose his salvation. More will be discussed on this soon. The chart below gives a synopsis of the pathway of 'life and death'. He that believes becomes righteous and remains so unless he commits the unpardonable sin. He that does not believed is condemned already – irrespective of what else he does or does not do – because he doesn't believe. Believe here refers to accepting the Lord Jesus as one's Lord and personal saviour.

Eternal Life

In many places in the scriptures, the word that was translated as eternal life is Zoe. It means the God kind of life. It means life as God has it; the very quality of life that God has. Right now as it has been before time began, God has eternal life. Eternal life is not the same as immortality or living forever, even though the usage of immortality usually connotes a blissful living for ever. If eternal life is to live forever however, it would mean that the devil has eternal life because he will live forever observing the punishment reserved for him (Rev 20:10). There is an understanding we must have about eternal life. We are not waiting to get eternal life! We have it now. Eternal life is not what we will get when we 'get' to heaven. It is what God has given us right now:

"And this is the record, **that God hath given to us eternal life** , and this life is in his Son.... (13) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God". 1Jn 5:11, 13

If a child is adopted from a nasty orphanage into a loving family, the quality of life of the adopting family immediately becomes the quality of life of the child. This is the same way we have eternal life. The quality of life of God which is eternal life is now the quality of life we have. The Apostle wrote that we have eternal life now not later. We possess eternal life when we get born again. We are given the divine nature. We live and act like God. Because we are still in the flesh, we do not express the life its fullness but we sure have that life. We have peace like God has peace; we have joy like God has joy. We become righteous just as God is righteous. We can impose the eternal life on natural life. For example, we can allow the eternal life of God in our spirits to affect our minds such that our IQ is heightened; We can be strengthened physically by allowing the eternal life of God in our spirit to over flow into our bodies. We reign and rule in this life by the eternal life of God on our insides. Those that have been looking for the secret of being young forever need to look no further. Let them get eternal life into their spirits by getting born again, and the eternal life of God within them will renew their strength like the eagle. I have written these words to help people have the right focus. For some, all they care about is making heaven and so they become of no earthly value. However, scripture tells us that while we are in this world we are to reign (Rom 5:17). Indeed this world is not our own and we are passers-by. It is not the physical world that is meant here rather the system of this world under the rulership of the devil. Remember Jesus said that the meek shall inherit the earth. Even Jesus is coming back to reign on the earth for a thousand years. So it was the system of the world that was being referred to. Therefore we cannot live our lives like beggarly elements, beaten and battered by the system of the world: poor, broke, depressed, confused and unhappy. No! We are victorious. We are more than conquerors. This is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith. Greater is the eternal life of God that is in us than the natural life that is in the system of the world. We have overcome them because anything that is born of God overcomes the world. We are of God. Anyone that is born of God has the same nature that God has. We are carriers of the Zoe of God now. This is our victory over the system of this world. Everything is not just going to get better by and by when we get to heaven, NO! Everything is turned around for our good NOW. The old has gone and all things have become new. This newness of life is the eternal life of God we got when we became born again

The Condition(s) for 'rapture'

We have seen that every man that is in Christ has a new nature of righteousness. We have also seen that sin does not break our father/child relationship with God but can hinder our fellowship with him. I am aware that the theology of many reading this book has been messed up till this point by what they've read. Well, that is not about to stop. Now take this: There is only one condition for rapture! That condition is to confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Notice what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God". No one who gets 'ruptured' can stand before the Father and say, it is because of the good that I did that I made it here. The way people talk about rapture make it seem that anyone who will make it will just be lucky to scale through, but scripture shows something entirely different. Jesus said people will be condemned, not because of wrong things they do but, because they did not believe in his name. We are saved by grace through faith; it is a free gift of God. Righteousness is the nature of the believer. He cannot reduce in it or increase in it. He is as righteous as God is right now because he has actually become the righteousness of God (2 Co 5:21). The action of sin does not make a believer become unrighteous. Someone says that our righteousness is like a filthy rag. Yes, but I've got news: that filthy rag was replaced with the righteousness of God when we got born again. Why do you think it is written: "if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, the old is gone (the filthy rag), behold all things are new (righteousness nature)". Again, the reason people will perish in hell is not because they committed acts of sin like fornication etc, it is because they did not believe in the Lord Jesus (John 1:19). Now someone is asking: "are you saying that a Christian that commits fornication without repentance will also be ruptured?" YES!!... Ok don't close the book yet. Is a believer who steals a dollar worse off than a believer who steals 10,000 dollars before God? No! Is a believer who thinks lustfully about another worse off than the one who actually commits fornication. Obviously not because Jesus said "...whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). If every time we commit a sin – no matter how big or small – we became unrighteous before God, then we have to get born-again again. Many would need to have got born again about 10,000 times if they are still to be born-again today. This is obviously not what operates in the kingdom. When we commit a sin as a Christian, we don't become unrighteous, neither do we become sinners. At that time we are just righteous men who did something wrong and we just need to get back to God to remove that stain of sin. Yes, Jesus is coming back for a church without spot or wrinkles but note how the church will be without spots and wrinkles:

"...as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" Eph 5:25-27.

Who does the sanctification and cleansing? It is Jesus! It is not by trying to be holy that we become holy. We are holy by the cleansing with the blood of the lamb that was slain (Eph 1:7, Col 1:14) and it is this same blood that will keep us holy. This will sound strange to many. It is so for these ones because they have become so conscious of the Law. Though they are under the New Testament, they still want to live under the Law to be acceptable to God. If you have faith enough take this: every one that names the name of Christ will be saved on the day of the Lord. However all of us will stand before the judgement seat of Christ to give account for what we have done in the body whether it is good or bad.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad". 2Co 5:10

If the only 'rapturable' ones are those that are perfect, how come there will still be a giving of account for what we have done in the body whether it is good or bad. So it means that some people who will still 'make' heaven will still have some bad to answer for. Well, that's what scripture says. That believer found in fornication at the time of rapture will be 'ruptured' because he still has the righteousness nature but his works will be judged for living in sin. To bring some more clarity to this let us consider two examples from the scriptures

Two examples from scriptures

The first example we will consider is of a certain man in the Corinthian church who committed a very serious offence: He committed fornication with the wife of his father! Can you imagine that in the church of the Lord? Let's read:

"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. (2) And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. (3) For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, (4) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, (5) To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus". 1Co 5:1-5

Note that Paul clearly indicated that this man was a Christian when he differentiated the Corinthian Christians from 'among the Gentiles', referring to those that are not born again. However notice the verdict of the Apostle about the matter. He said lets us deliver the man to Satan for the destruction of his body. This is indeed extreme and we don't find it happening frequently in scriptures. We know that scripture says that we as believers can pass judgment by the Holy Spirit. This was what Paul did. Our interest here however is not extremity of the measure but the truth this scripture establishes. Paul wrote that the brother will receive judgment in his mortal body for the evil he had done. Satan will be able to inflict him because the man will be released from the spiritual covering and protection of the church. However it is only the mortal body of the man that will be destroyed as such. Consider the fifth verse: "to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus".

If the brother had repented there would have been no need to pass such a judgement for the Father would have for have forgiven him (1st John 1:9). The Apostle passed the judgment because the brother was unrepentant (see verses 6&7). The church folks did not reprimand him so he continued in this sinful action. Thus in this matter and with this judgement, the man would have died with his sin unconfessed. Yet the Apostle wrote that brother will be saved on the day of the Lord even though his body will be destroyed because of his sin. The day of the Lord Jesus Christ is the day when Jesus Christ will come back. We already know that this will be the time when those that are dead in Christ will be raised first and those of us that are alive and remain will be caught up with him in the clouds. Using the common parlance thus, this Corinthian man will be ruptured! Someone is already crying: Heresy! Heresy! Read your own bible for yourself if it says something different then discard the foregone. If however it says the same thing then humble yourself and accept the Word of the Lord. Let your mind and heart be dislodged from the theology of men that attempts to get salvation by good works. The only good work that saves is the one that Jesus did when he died and rose again. There he said: "It is finished!" Someone is saying this is giving license to people to sin. Well, if up to now, with the way many Christians are living their lives, they don't have the license to sin then giving them a license to sin now will make little difference in the way they live their lives. I believe the man repented because in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul talked about forgiving a man who had caused grief. It is lkely to be this same man who had now repented.

"For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. (5) But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. (6) Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. (7) So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. (8) Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. (9) For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. (10) To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; (11) Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" 2Co 2:4-11

We see therefore that the only requirement for being a member of the kingdom of Christ is to confess the Lordship of Christ and believe in the one's heart that God raised Christ from the dead. It is only the sin nature that will prevent entry into the kingdom not the actions of sin. So, shall we now continue in sin for this grace to continue to abound to us? No! God forbid! If there is one amongst us that chooses to continue in sin like the Corinthian man, we will give him the Corinthian treatment: deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the body so that his spirit will be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus. This judgment is actually the mercy of the Lord towards such a person. This is because if he continues in sin like this – and long enough – his heart will become hardened and he will commit the unpardonable sin. The unpardonable sin is to wilfully deny Christ having known him personally and having once confessed him as Lord. There is no hope for such a person.

The second example is the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Now, please go ahead and read Acts 5: 1-10. The story is very similar in many ways to the story of the Corinthian man we just considered. This couple lied about a contribution they made to the church. In doing this they committed a grievous offence. Please note what scripture said was that they lied to the Holy Spirit. It is completely different from blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This latter we shall consider soon. In their case they got instant judgment: the destruction of their body by death. The question that I will like to ask is: where is this couple now: heaven or hell? Most will probably say hell. However that is not true. Scriptures did not reveal further to us on this, however evidence of scripture confirms this response solidly. Even though they committed an action of sin, they did not lose their righteousness nature to regain a sin nature. If it were so all reading this book and are born again would still have the sin nature. You may ask why. Ok, look back into today and count how many sins you have committed in thoughts and in deeds. The majority are probably the ones you don't remember or were not even conscious of when you did them. The reason you are still alive right now is that those sins have not warranted instant judgment like the one of this couple. So don't think you are better than them. Though they got instant judgment for the wrong they did, they did not lose their salvation. Just like judgment of the Corinthian man, their bodies were destroyed because of sin but their spirits will be saved on the day of the lord Jesus. We are going to be meeting Ananias and Sapphira in glory when the Lord Jesus returns. The action of sin (no matter the sin, apart from the unpardonable sin) does not confer the sin nature back to the believer. However some sins can attract instant judgment. No wonder scripture says that shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? Of course not! We were not saved so that we would live in sin again so there is no excuse for sinning.Thus brethren for as many of us that name Christ as our Lord; we are not trying to but have made Heaven already. We are Citizens already. We are heirs of the father and joint heirs with the Son.

Many shall say to me, Lord! Lord!

We have written that the condition to be caught up with Christ is only to confess the Lordship of Christ and believe in one's heart that God has raised Christ from the dead. Someone is pointing attention to that scripture in Mat 7:22 "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" Lets us compare this scripture with another in Mat 24:24:"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Indeed it is not all that say to the Jesus, Lord, Lord, that have accepted him as the Lord of their lives. These are false prophets who are only after what they can get and not serving the Almighty God. These false prophets and Christs along with their follows will call Jesus Lord without meaning a word of it. The Prophet Isaiah explained it well when he wrote: "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men" (Isa 29:13). Performing signs and wonders is not the evidence of being a true genuine believer.

The Unpardonable sin

Let us now consider the unpardonable sin by looking into the scriptures below:

"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men". Mat 12:31

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, (5) And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (6) If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame". Heb 6:4-6

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, (27) But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (28) He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: (29) Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Heb 10:26-29

"If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. (17) All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death". 1Jn 5:16-17

These Scripture draws our attention to certain sin that cannot be repented of. Different expressions were used in these different scriptures but they refer to the same thing. Thus we have at least four witnesses about a certain type of sin that cannot be forgiven or repented of. This is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, falling away, wilful sin and sin unto death. We understand that the central point of all things is Christ. It pleased the Father to have the fullness of the Godhead dwell in Christ bodily. So God is always pointing to Christ Jesus. Now Scripture shows us that the ministry of the Holy Spirit on the earth is to glorify Jesus (Jo 16:15). Anyone that brings dishonour to Jesus by treading underfoot the Son of God and counting the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing in so doing despises the Spirit of grace. This action is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that the Lord Jesus talked about in Matt 12:31. Please note that Ananias and Saphiras did not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. Scripture says they lied to the Holy Spirit. This is quite different. As we will see, the unpardonable sin entails denying Christ as one's Lord. This obviously wasn't what this couple did.

Reading from Hebrews 6: 4-6, we see that not just anybody can commit this unpardonable sin. We see about five criteria before one can wilfully commit this unpardonable sin. These are those:

1. (Who were) once enlightened

2. (Who) have tasted of the heavenly gift

3. (Who were) made partakers of the Holy Ghost

4. (Who) have tasted the good word of God, and

5. (Who) have tasted the powers of the world to come

It is obvious that the type of person described here is a matured Christian. If such a person shall fall away by denying Christ, he/she cannot be renewed by repentance. Such person having had a personal knowledge and experience of Jesus as his Lord deliberately and wilfully denies him as Lord. It is a wilful action and that is why the author of Hebrews called it sinning wilfully. This wilful sinning is not the everyday action of sin that people are tempted to commit but a wilful denying of Jesus as one's Lord after having had an intimate knowledge of Him. The person that could commit this sin obviously must be a matured believer. Scarcely can a baby Christian commit this sin because he/she will likely not have fulfilled the criteria listed above.

Why is this sin unpardonable? The reason is not farfetched. It was a shameful thing to be hung on the cross. Quoting the Old Testament the Apostle wrote: "...cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree" (Gal 3:13).Jesus actually became an accursed one when he was hung on the cross. He became a curse for us because he took our place. Now, anyone who denies Christ having known him and matured in him is saying that the first time Jesus died on the cross was not enough. For him to be forgiven again, Jesus will have to go to the cross again, bringing open shame to Christ. Satan will then have a good laugh saying that the blood of the Lamb of God is not efficacious after all; it is no different from the blood of bulls and rams because it has to be offered again and again. But God will not allow his Son to be brought to open shame. For this reason this sin will never be forgiven. 1John 1:9 cannot work for such a person because he has despised to the very Spirit of Grace.

What could drive a believer who has already attained to some maturity to commit this type of grievous sin? What can get a man to this point of no return? Let us see something Paul wrote to Timothy:

1Ti 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (2) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

It is only a man who has had his conscience seared as with hot iron (i.e. hardened) that can indeed deny Christ after having had an intimate knowledge of Him. The thing that causes such hardening of the heart is a continuation in action of sin without repentance to a point that the individual becomes insensitive to the Holy Spirit. It is such a person that will say God is lying when he/she is convicted as having committed some action of sin (cf. 1 Jn 1:8). Sin will harden the heart of a believer. If he continues long enough in the sin unrepentant he will become so insensitive to the Holy Spirit that he would lift his heart against the Spirit of grace and deny Christ. Often before people get to this point in their lives the Father allows them to go home (i.e. die before their time). I have not said that all that died young where involved in some action of sin, rather that it has been the experience of some. It was this judgment that Paul wanted brought on the Corinthian man that committed fornication with his father's wife. It was this judgment that came on Ananias and Sapphira. It came so that they would not get to the point of denying Christ and losing their salvation eternally. It came so that they would not be judged along with the world. It is for this reason we don't take pleasure in sin because it hardens the heart of the believer.

The Seal of the Holy Spirit

A number of scriptures introduce us to what the Apostle Paul calls the Seal of the Spirit:

"Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts". 2Co 1:22

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory". Eph 1:13-14

" _And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Eph 4:30_

The seal of the Holy Spirit is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that comes into everyone that confesses the Lordship of Jesus. God said through the Prophet Ezekiel:

" _A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh". Ezek 36:26_

The Prophet was talking about the time when Jesus would come and live in the heart of every believer by His Spirit. Jesus also told his disciples then that another comforter would come who would teach them all things and take from what was Christ's and make it known to them. He specifically said in John 14:16 that the Spirit was with them then but would later be in them. He promised that the comforter will never depart from them. The Apostle John in 1 John 2:20 helped us to understand that this is the anointing we received; unction from God, which teaches us all things. We find that this indwelling of the Holy Spirit is for the personal edification and growth of the believer because he teaches us all things and even shows us things to come. We must understand that this seal of the Holy Spirit, that is, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is different from the baptism of the Holy Spirit which we can call the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The seal is given us at the time we get born again. The infilling of the Holy Spirit occurs when we desire it of the Lord and request for it. The infilling is accompanied specifically by the initial evidence of speaking with new tongues. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is for the purpose of being witness of Christ all over the world (Acts 1:8). It is for the purpose of doing the work of ministry in serving the Lord.

A seal is a mark of approval, an evidence of originality. An intact seal indicates that the thing that is sealed has not been tampered with. Also the impression on the seal tells the origin of the sealed item (e.g. the impression on the seal of a sealed letter tells us who wrote/authorised the letter). When an item is received with an unbroken seal, it confirms to the receiver that the content has not been tampered with. The Holy Spirit represents all these in the life of the believer. For instance the Holy Spirit confirms our originality by always bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom 8:16). The seal of the Holy Spirit is the seal that we are indeed born again.

To commit the unpardonable sin is to have the seal of the Holy Spirit broken. Remember that to commit this sin is to do despise to the Spirit of Grace. Also remember that place where it is written: "grieve not the Holy Spirit by which you are sealed till the day of redemption". Our being sealed with the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that God gave us that we will get what He has promised us

"That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it--to the praise of His glory". Eph 1:14 AMP

The only reason a believer will not be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus is if this Seal of the Holy Spirit has been broken. Scripture makes us understand that that the seal does not get broken every time a believer sins. Otherwise we would need to get born again every time we sinned no matter how big or small the sin is. We know from 1 John 1:9 that all we need to do each time we sin as believers is repent of the particular sin and move on. Moreover, It would even be impossible to get born-again again if the seal gets broken because the only sin that can cause the breaking of the seal is actually unpardonable. This is the reason we know that there is only one condition for rapture; this is to get born again so that one becomes sealed with the Holy Ghost. As long as the actions of sin do not break the seal of the Holy Spirit then we know that no action of sin by itself will stop any believer from being 'raptured'. The only one that will not be 'raptured' is the one that commits the unpardonable sin which is to wilfully deny the Lordship of Jesus after having had an intimate knowledge of him. Please note the emphasis on 'wilfully'

Eternal Salvation

Are we saying then that Salvation is eternal? Of course salvation is eternal. Who can put an end to it? Satan? Sin? Look at these scriptures:

_Rom 8:35, 38-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?_ shall _tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord._

Heb 7:25 NLT Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save everyone who comes to God through him. He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf.

Salvation is for evermore: as long as one does not deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is not the same as a certain doctrine that has come around in so many waves: that particular one says that it really does not matter what you do as long you are in born again, your salvation is guaranteed. Some also called this eternal security. Indeed there is eternal security in Christ. However, it will only be so for the one that remains in Christ. After all, the security is IN Christ. One remains in Christ by continuing to believe in Him and never denying him having known him intimately. This so-called eternal security doctrine gives excuse for sin with the proponents saying it doesn't really matter what one does. Please, it does matter what we do. Remember, continuing in sin hardens the heart of a believer. We must understand that sin is very inconvenient for the believer. It is a sharp contrast to his true nature. A believer that continues to sins and refuse to repent will be like a man searing his conscience with hot iron. One day his conscience will become so hardened that it will not respond to the Spirit of God anymore. At that point, such a person WILL deny Christ. He will lose his salvation eternally.

#  8 Sequence of His Coming

"I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves." 1Th 4:15 NLT

There is a sequence to the coming of the Lord. We have seen the things that precede His coming and we have also seen the things that will occur at his coming. Comparing Matt 24 with Luke 21, it is seen that the event of surrounding and sacking of Jerusalem refers to the conquest of Jerusalem immediately after the days of Jesus but like most prophecies, also it also refers to events yet to happen even now in our days. The sacking of Jerusalem will continue – in the words of the Lord Jesus –"until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Lk 21:24). We have earlier considered that the times of the gentiles is part of the mystery of God. It is that period when the Jews and the Gentiles will both have access to the Father through Jesus Christ (Eph 2:11-22). We also showed that the time of the gentiles will be ended at the second coming of the Lord at which time will also be the end of the mystery of God. Rom 11:25 says "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in". The catching up of the saints will occur when the fullness of the gentiles have come in. Having considered all that is written in previous chapters we can know and understand the sequence of the second coming of the Lord Jesus. I am reluctant to write out categorically a sequence in this work. I desire each reader to consider the truth for him/herself and decide what he/she will believe. There have been many schools of thought about the sequence of the coming of the Lord: from the pre-tribulationists to the post-tribulationists and from the amillennialists to the pre-millenniallists. I will not identify with any of these; rather I will stand by the truth and integrity of the Word of God. I summarise here for your consideration some of the truths we have earlier considered.

1. The second coming of the Lord is a singular event (see chapter 6)

2. The resurrection of believers and the changing into new bodies is at the 2nd coming of Jesus.(1st Corin 15:51-52, 1st Thes 4:13-17)

3. The 2nd coming of Jesus occurs sometime after the antichrist has been revealed (2nd Thes 2:1-12)

4. The reign of the antichrist is ended by the second coming of the Lord (2nd Thes 2:8)

5. The second coming of the Lord Jesus is also called The Day of the Lord! (1 Thes 5:2, 2 Pe 3:10)

#  9 The Day of the Lord

"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him". Rom 5:9

There is one recurring theme in the prophecies of the Old Testament. They always spoke about the last days and sometimes used expressions like the "Day of the Lord". I took the liberty to examine the Old Testament prophetic books for all references - direct expression or similar words - to the day of the Lord. I chose to focus on the Old Testament prophets because of something else I saw in the books of 1stPeterand Revelations:

Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets

"Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: (11) Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (12) Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into". 1 Pet 1:10-12

The Lord has revealed to the prophets about the end of all things. If He has revealed these things to them then what was revealed must be contained in the words the prophets wrote. I came up with about 27 interesting selections from the Old Testament prophets. These are contained in the table in Appendix A. I encourage you to carefully read these scriptures to getting understanding of the issues we have been discussing before continuing to read the remaining of this book... Also in Appendix B, I have taken the liberty to show us scriptures from the New Testament that mentioned the Day of the Lord. Please read this too. You will notice that the Apostles used expressions like the Day of our Lord Jesus (1 Cor 1:8) Lord, the appearing of the Lord (1 Tim 6:14), day of wrath, the day of redemption (Eph 4:30), When he shall come to be glorified in his saints (2 Th 1:10) and so on and so forth.

Furthermore, it is instructive to compare certain 2 scriptures:

"And now, son of man, call all the birds and wild animals, says the Sovereign LORD. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there eat the flesh and drink the blood! (18) Eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of princes as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and fat young bulls of Bashan! (19) Gorge yourselves with flesh until you are glutted; drink blood until you are drunk. This is the sacrificial feast I have prepared for you. (20) Feast at my banquet table--feast on horses, riders, and valiant warriors, says the Sovereign LORD". Ezek 39:17-20 NLT

"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: "Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. (18) Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great." (19) Then I saw the beast gathering the kings of the earth and their armies in order to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. (20) And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast--miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. (21) Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came out of the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And all the vultures of the sky gorged themselves on the dead bodies". Rev 19:17-21 NLT

These two scriptures are obviously describing the same event. It is amazing that though several years separate the writing of these words yet they accurately describe the same event. Both describe the events which will characterize the day of the Lord.

Indeed I might have missed a whole lot of other scriptures in the Old Testament prophets that speak about the end times or the last days or the day of the Lord. The ones written in the Appendix will suffice for our discussions; after all we only need two or three witness to decide a matter. We have far much more than that here!

Various Expressions of the Day of the Lord

From Appendix A and B we see that that the Day of the Lord was always about when God will bring his judgment on the world. We find many expressions used to describe this event: These include:

* the Day of the Lord

* The Judgment day

* The Day of the Wrath of God

* the day of the Lord's vengeance (Isa 34:8, 2Th 1:8-9)

* The Appearing of the Lord

* The day of Our Lord Jesus

* The day of redemption

The Lord Jesus said that the Father will not do the judgment but all judgment had been committed unto the son. Thus if the 'Day of Judgment' is the 'Day of the Lord', it must also be the Day of the Lord Jesus that the Apostle Paul referred to, for example in 1st Cor. 5:5, when he wrote about the spirit of the Corinthian man that committed a grievous offence being saved "in the day of the Lord Jesus". We can say then that everywhere the expression Day of the Lord is used also refers to the Day of the return of the Lord Jesus. We have already established that there is no dichotomy in the catching up of the saints and the second coming of Jesus. We will see then, given all the activities that have been described as part of the Day of The Lord, that the Day of the Lord is not a single calendar day rather a period over time marked by part or all of the following:

1. Signs and Wonder in the heavens including the Sun and the moon changing

2. His appearing in the sky with the armies of heaven

3. The catching up of the saints

4. The armies of the beast (Antichrist) arraying against the army of Heaven

5. The plagues of God coming on the earth

6. the Lord triumphing over the beast

7. All those that worshiped the beast or bear his mark are killed

8. The beast thrown into the lake of fire

9. Satan is bound and thrown into the bottomless pit

10. The beginning of a literal period of peace on earth that will last for a 1000 years, also called the millennial reign where Christ will reign from Jerusalem for a 1000 years

I believe strongly that these mark the Day of the Lord. We know also from scriptures that after the 1000 years of peace, Satan will be released; who will go and deceive certain people to rise against the Lord Jesus but whose final judgment (along with Death and Hell) will be to be thrown into the lake of fire. At this time the judgment of all who ever lived and died without making Jesus their Lord will occur. This judgment is called the Great White Thrown judgment. Of these it was written: anyone whose name is not found in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. Now, let's consider two specific events about the last days: The Great Tribulation and The Wrath of God.

The 'Great' Tribulation

One of the generally known events of the end-time apart from rapture is a certain period of tribulation marked particularly by the presence of the Antichrist and the requirement to receive certain mark on certain part of the body. Straight away I will like to point our attention to how scripture qualifies this tribulation. Notice that Jesus never named this tribulation "The Great Tribulation". He only merely said the tribulation shall be great.

Mat 24:21 "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be".

Note he did not say there shall be 'the great tribulation'. The teaching has been that the rapture will occur to allow Christians to escape the 'great tribulation'. Firstly scripture does not teach 'The Great Tribulation', it only described the tribulation of that period as great. This tribulation shall be in such proportion that: "except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened". The days will be shortened because of the elect. In Chapter 5 we considered the scriptural use of the word elect and we saw that the elect refer to all those who have made the Lord Jesus their personal Lord and saviour. In the same chapter 24 of Matthew we are told that the Lord himself will come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

No doubt the Antichrist will show up and terrorise the whole world. He will seek to have all men worship him. He will use such terror and force refined by technology. This technology includes receiving of a mark on the body which will be necessary to do any form of trading. The pattern of teaching in the Body of Christ in many places is that Christians will escape these events. I desire that my readers should read the scriptures again especially Matthew 24. We already understand that there is only one condition for rapture and that is to get born again. Some teach that these elects mentioned in Matthew 24 are only Jews while some others teach that they are people who manage to get born again during the tribulation regardless of nationality. Both usually teach that the Holy Spirit will be taken away, people will pay for salvation with their own blood and grace will no more be available. On these issues we wrote earlier in Chapter 6 that no one can get born again without the Holy Spirit so if the Holy Spirit is taken away during this period no one can get saved. Also no one can pay for salvation with his own blood. If any can do it then they can as well do it now. We know that it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses from sin; any other is an abomination to God. Also, it is impossible for any to be saved without the grace of God: for we are saved by grace and not works. Thus if any will get saved in that period it has to be by the Grace of the Lord. The final issue is about the elect being Jews. Being a Jew does not give automatic salvation to any, for everyone must come to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ (Joh 14:6). Moreover if the elect spoken of here are Jews strictly, they will also need to get born again and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in them. None can pay for salvation with their own blood and all definitely need the Grace to be saved. Many men, women and children have died over the centuries for the sake of the Gospel in different forms of persecution and tribulations. None was paying for their salvation in doing so. The Apostle wrote that: "...all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2Ti 3:12). The Lord Jesus also said: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). It is obviously more convenient to think of escaping any form of persecution or tribulation. However it is a great honour to suffer for Christ. This is a hard saying. If you cannot take this, just leave it. Come back to it another day when you are better equipped to accept this truth. Whether Christ comes before what has been called the great tribulation or afterwards, we will be waiting and we will not weaken in our resolve to serve him. We will trust him even unto death. We shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony; we shall not love our lives unto death. We will not leave our duty post even if the battle is on us and is at its hottest. Now, someone is saying: but scriptures say that we will escape the wrath of God; isn't the tribulation part of the wrath of God? Well it is not! The tribulation is the Wrath of the Devil being demonstrated through the antichrist. Let us now consider what the Wrath of God is.

The Wrath to Come

Careful reading of scriptures will reveal to us that the 'great' tribulation is not the same as the wrath of God. The events that mark what is described as the 'great' tribulation had started to occur before the blowing of the last of the seventh trump. Such event includes the mark of the beast, beheading of the saints, persecution of believers etc. We have already considered that the seventh trump is the last trump that the Apostle Paul wrote about in 1st Corin 15 which will be sounded for the catching up of the saints of God. The vials of the wrath of God were started to be poured after the sounding of the last trump. So indeed, the believers will escape the wrath that is to come for they would have been caught up at the sound of the last (7th) trump. We see therefore that the 'great' tribulation is not the wrath of God. It is the Wrath of the enemy (Rev 12:12).The Day of Judgment is the day of the wrath of God (Rom 2:5). This is the day that Jesus returns. The wrath of God will start when Jesus returns because the wrath of God is the judgment of God and Jesus is coming to effect the judgment of God on the earth.

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (12) His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself... (15) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God". Rev 19:11-12, 15

Now we see here that when Jesus comes back, he will come as a king and a warrior; a lion not a lamb. He will smite the nations with the very Word of God (cf. sword proceeding from his mouth). He is described as going to tread the winepress of the wrath of God. Therefore the wrath of God is not just those things that occur during the 'great' tribulation but afterwards. The prophet Isaiah saw these things several years ago when he wrote:

"Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. (2) Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? (3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. (4) For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. (5) And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. (6) And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth". Isa 63:1-6

The deliverance from the wrath to come is at the second coming of the Jesus. It is by Jesus coming again and we being in Him when he returns that we will be saved from the wrath to come.

"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" Rom 5:9

"And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come". 1Th 1:10

"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" 1Th 5:9

Having established the truth that believers will be saved from the wrath to come we will understand clearly that the tribulation is inflicted by the Antichrist whereas the wrath of God is the judgement of God.

Eternal Judgment

All hail the Almighty God, the one who is both merciful and just, remembering mercy in judgment. He is not so just as to forget mercy or so merciful as to forget justice. If not for the mercy of the Lord we would all have been consumed. Glory to the one who sits on the throne: whose loving kindness is forevermore; the one who put the punishment of sinners on himself that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in those of us that believe; The gracious one who is both kind and severe: Kind on the sinner but severe on their sins. He tells the sinner to draw nigh as they are that he may do away with their sins that they might be saved; The one who showed another way to be saved apart from the law: who reconciled the whole world to himself by the blood of the Lamb, who with outstretched hands calls to all that he no longer counts their sins against them. Oh! What a mighty and gracious God we serve. He is the judge of the whole world. Justice and righteousness are the foundation of His throne. All hail my father and Lord!

The author of Hebrew wrote in the sixth chapter about the principles of the doctrines Christ. Of these he mentioned one as Eternal Judgement. God being who he is must judge all men. It is in the nature of the Father to judge. The Psalmist wrote in Ps 89:14(NLT) "Your throne is founded on two strong pillars--righteousness and justice. Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants". However, The Father has committed all judgment to the hands of the Son

" _For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" John 5:22_

" _Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by_ that _man whom he hath ordained;_ whereof _he hath given assurance unto all_ men _, in that he hath raised him from the dead". Act 17:31_

" _I charge_ thee _therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom" 2Ti 4:1_

Every man shall be judged: believer and unbeliever alike because it is appointed unto man, once to die and after that judgment (Heb 9:27). The judgment a man will receive is dependent on what he did while in was in the body whether good or bad. The coming of Jesus is when he will bring judgment on men. However the purpose of the judgement of believers is very different from that of unbelievers. In fact we see in scriptures that believers themselves are not going to be judged rather the works of their hands will be tried with fire (1 Co 3:13-15). That scripture reads that "If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward (and) If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire". The believer will never be judged to condemnation or eternal separation from God again. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Paul with all the confidence of the Spirit said that a crown was reserved for him (2Ti 4:8). Thank God it is not only him but also all those that love the appearing of the Lord. Thanks be unto God because I know that there is a crown waiting for me at the appearing of the Lord because I love His appearing. In relation to the believer, the Apostle Paul wrote about the Judgment seat of Christ twice (Rom 14:10 & 2 Co 5:10). In both of these places, he told the believers that we shall of stand before the judgment seat of Christ

The judgment of the unbeliever is unto condemnation. The whole of heaven and earth as we know it now will pass away. God will create a new set of these. The Apostle Peter wrote in 2Pe 3:7 "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men". The issue for the believer is not just about making heaven but conforming to the image of the Lord Jesus because wherever the Lord Jesus will be, we will be also. For the unbeliever, the issue is to accept the Lordship of Jesus; that is the only thing that can save from eternal damnation. The only reason they will be condemned is that they did not believe in the Lord Jesus. No one will perish just because he lied, fornicated etc. but that they never made Jesus their Lord.The judgment of the unbelievers shall be before the Great White throne (Rev 20:11-15). Anyone whose name is not written in the lambs Book of Life will be condemned forever. This is the reason we warn sinners and persuasively exhort them to come to Jesus. Please note that the word sinner here strictly talks about not believing or choosing not to believe in the Lord Jesus (John 3:18-20)

In addition, all men must understand that the judgment of God is not just a static event waiting to happen. Even now while they are alive, the judgment of God comes to some people. When men persist in evil – believer or unbeliever – the judgment of God may come to them while they are still in the flesh. It is written in Proverbs: Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner (Pro 11:31). Remember those believers in the Corinthian church who did not discern the body of Christ and took the communion unworthily (1Co 11:27-30): some of them became sick and some even slept (i.e. died). It wasn't that they took the communion without confessing some sins they had committed. They did not have due regard for the person of Christ and the significance of his death. The outcome was the judgment of God. We earlier mentioned the case of Ananias and Sapphira who lied about a contribution to the church. Their action also attracted judgment. It is for this reason that the Apostle Peter wrote: "For the time _is come_ that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if _it_ first _begin_ at us, what shall the end _be_ of them that obey not the gospel of God?"(1Pe 4:17). If we judge ourselves by watching our ways then such severity will not come to us. God is longsuffering and waits on people to repent but when the actions of sins reaches its full, the judgment of the Lord comes to people while they are still alive (cf. Gen 15:16 and Gen 18:20, 19:24). If they are believers they will still be caught up with Christ when He returns. If they are unbelievers, that will be the end of things for them for they can only expect eternal damnation. The Apostle Paul admonishes:"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." (1Co 11:31-32)

When is this day of the Lord?

No one knows the day or time of his return but we know that when we shall see him we shall be like him. So, we are not sitting around counting the days till he comes. No! We live each day like it's' the last and at the same time like it is the beginning of our days. We make each day count in the service of our Lord. Some say where is the Lord that has promised to come these many years. Please understand that the Lord is not slack about his coming. That he is yet to come is His longsuffering and mercy towards all men. Please consider what the Apostle Peter wrote:

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (11) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, (12) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? (13) Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (14) Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless". 2Pe 3:8-14

I ask that the Lord himself will fill you with all hope and patience in believing; that as you walk with him while you wait for his coming, your hearts will be strengthened with might; that Christ will make his home in your hearts indeed; and that you will be filled with the fullness of God, In Jesus' name, Amen.

#  10 Our Comfort, Hope and Rejoicing

"Wherefore comfort one another with these words" 1st The 4:18

Jesus is coming back again. Oh! what joy and gladness fills my soul. Like Job said, I know that my redeemer lives and he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth (Job 19:25). We are going to see our Lord Jesus in the body. When we see Him, we shall not be ashamed: for as he is, so are we in this world. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in 1Th 4:13:"...I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope". We are not people without hope. We do not sorrow like people who have no expectations. Having not seen him yet we believe and rejoice with joy unspeakable full of glory. The appearing of our Lord is a blessed hope and we are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (Tit 2:13). We will not be disappointed for we are saved by hope and hope that is seen is not hope; But if we hope for that which we cannot see, then we wait with patience for it (Ro 8:24-25).This hope does not make ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us (Rom 5:5). Rather we rejoice in hope; we are patient in tribulation and we continue instant in prayer (Ro 12:12). Our hope is not in the things we can see now but in the things to come for if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (1Co 15:19).

That he hasn't come yet doesn't mean he is not coming again. That he hasn't come yet is His longsuffering towards those that are yet to accept him. The Father wants all men to be saved. The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance". For those that are yet to make the Lord Jesus their personal Lord and saviour, the clock is ticking but while it is still today they have the opportunity to make a decision to follow the Lord. For those of us that have made the decision, we live in all holy conversation and godliness. Seeing that we have this hope we purify ourselves even as he is pure. We cast off the yoke and affection of this world; we set our affection on the things above from where our saviour will also come.

We know we will not be condemned with the world and that we will be saved from the wrath to come. We are not trying to 'make' heaven because we are citizens already. We are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God (Eph 2:19). No matter what we face while we wait for his coming, our light afflictions cannot compare with the exceeding weight of glory that will be revealed. It does not yet appear what we shall be but when we see him we shall be like him. In this world we may have many troubles and tribulation but he has overcome the world for us. Many may be our afflictions; the Lord delivers us from them all. He said he will not suffer the righteous to be moved. The troubles we may have now are not in any way comparable with the glory that shall soon be revealed. We are not wishful thinkers with our noses stuck in the cloud and our feet off the ground. We are firmly planted on earth while we wait for His return. We rule and reign in this world by our faith. We offer our best of the Kingdom to the world. We are used by the Lord as His instruments of peace: where there is hatred, we let His love increase; Where there is injury, we do not judge; Where there is striving, we bring his peace; Where there is blindness, we bring sight; where there is darkness, we shine his light. We have become a tool in the hands of our Lord to reconcile men to God. While we are waiting we do all of these and more; but we know we don't have a continuing city here. We are looking forward to a city whose builder and architect is the Lord himself. No wonder the Lord Jesus said that in His father's house are many mansions. He has gone to prepare us a place and he is coming back to take us with Him so that where he is we will be also. We will not let our heart be troubled like he has told us (Jo 14:1-3).Our spirits and souls long for the coming of the Lord. Like the watchmen wait for the dawning of the day, we wait for his return.

Therefore, I commend you my reader to the Word of God's grace that is able to save you and give you an inheritance among those that are sanctified. The Word of God is what will settle you. So much has been written and so many scriptures referred to. Please act like the Berean Christians who went to check things for themselves (Acts 17:10&11). Don't dismiss this as another wave of doctrine. How I desire that you see and know these truth for yourselves. How I desire that the revelation of the Hope of Glory dawns on your hearts. How I desire that you will be set free from the shackles of religion and come into the true liberty of the sons of God. Even creation is waiting to be set free from the corruption that entered into the world through lust. It is turning and twisting (note the so called global warming and related catastrophic events), waiting for its redemption. That redemption will come when the Lord Jesus returns: for then the earth will have its Sabbath rest for a thousand years during the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Come Lord Jesus!

#  Post Script

This work is not intended to be scholarly book that seeks to make a point, propound a theory or disseminate some pet doctrine. Several scriptures were presented so that through them we may have comfort and hope. This work is the outcome of a believer who desired to know of the things of God. Having read all of that is in this book, it won't matter if there is so much light and knowledge but there is no personal relationship with the Lord. A personal relationship with the Lord is the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person. This personal relationship can only be by coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no other name given by which men must be saved.

If you have never confessed the Lordship of Jesus then you are none of his. It doesn't matter if you were born on a church altar, your father is the Bishop of the world, you have two advanced degrees in theology or you were dipped into water twenty times for baptism. Baptism is of no value to you if you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life. When he said a man had to be born of water and the spirit to enter the kingdom of God (Jo 3:5), he was not talking about water baptism but about the Word of God. We know this for certain because the Apostle Paul wrote that Jesus cleansed the Church with the washing of Water by the Word (Eph 5:26). The Apostle Peter also says that we are born-again by the incorruptible seed of the Word of God (1Pe 1:23).

I now invite you into this new life. I desire that you will come to the knowledge the Holy one. Coming into Christ is perhaps the simplest thing you could do in life. He has not required you to become perfect to come to him. He says to come as you are and he will give you the power of perfection

There are two things you need to do to come to him:

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead

2. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord

There you go. You are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus if you have done this. Just like that? Yes, just like that. That is the simplicity of the Cross of Christ. He has taken away your former nature of sin, now you have the same divine nature as he has. Remember that this change took place in your spirit not your physical body. In order to remain in Him and grow in Him, you need to join a bible believing and teaching Church. Prayerfully find one and become a committed member. Every baby needs a good family to thrive. That church (local assembly) will become to you a spiritual family. Welcome to the family of God.

If you want more information on:

The signs of the 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus,

How to get born again,

Or you just need someone to talk to on issues in this book,

Please contact us by email:

thesignsofhiscoming@gmail.com

# **Appendix**
Appendix A

A selection of Old Testament scriptures about the Day of the Lord with comments

1. Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

**Comment:** This rightly describes the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus when Jesus will be the central focus of the whole world

2. Isa 4:2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

**Comment:** Also describing the period of the millennial reign of Christ. Note "...they that escape of Israel". It means those that escape the wrath to come.

3. Isa 11:3-16 Please read verses

**Comment:** Describes the 2nd coming of the Lord and the millennial reign

4. Isa 13: Please read chapter

**Comment:** Describes the 2nd coming of the Lord and subsequently the wrath of God. The Day of the Lord is the day Jesus comes back to take the land. He will fight and consume the enemies after having first evacuated his beloved (who made a covenant with him by sacrifice; Pa 50:5). Then he shall establish his kingdom and restore all things back as it was in the Garden of Eden

5. Isa 14: Please read chapter

**Comment:** The millennial reign

6. Isa 24:21-23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. 23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

**Comment:** This is comparable to the battle of Armageddon Rev 16:16

7. Is 25: Please read chapter

**Comment:** The Millennial reign

8. Isa 27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

**Comment:** Is this the last trump that will gather all the saints to the Lord Jesus Christ? I believe so strongly.

9. Isa 30:27-28 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: 28 And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

**Comment:** This indeed is the 2nd coming of the Lord. Compare this scripture with that in Rev 19:11-21 about the rider on the white horse or Ps 50:3-5 when the Lord called for all his people who had made a covenant with him by sacrifice. You may ask what sacrifice this is and I will tell you: Behold the Lamb of God that takes way the sins of the World. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb and the lamb has been sacrificed and a new covenant has been ratified!

10. Isa 30:30 And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.

**Comment:** This is a demonstration of the wrath of God. And this is the wrath that scriptures says God will save us from 1Th 1:10, 1Th 2:16

11. Is 34: Please read chapter

**Comment:** Describes the occurrence at the time of the 2nd coming of the Lord when he will release his vengeance of the wicked. Called the day of the Lord's vengeance, the day of the Lord or the Day of Judgment.

12. Is 60-62 Please read chapters

**Comment:** I strongly believe that these scriptures refer to the 1000 years of the millennial reign of Jesus. Because indeed Jerusalem will become the centre of the world for that is where Jesus will rule the earth from (Jer 3:17) and all the nations of the world will defer to him. No wonder Isaiah said the forces of the gentiles will be converted to Zion. Now, the natural born Israel are waiting for the day for the fulfilment of the prophecy in these chapters. Until they see the one whom they pierced and mourn over him (Zech 12:10 Rev 1:7), these words will not be fulfilled for them. For the spiritual born Israel, all the promises of God in Christ Jesus have become yes and amen (2Co 1:20). They can indeed have a foretaste now of the glory that will be revealed when Christ our life shall appear (Col 3:4, Rom 8:23 NLT)

13. Isa 63:1-6 Please read verses

**Comment:** The day of the Lord, the day of his vengeance. This is talking about the Lord Jesus Christ.

14. Jer 23:3-8 Please read verses

**Comment:** It would appear like this scripture talks exclusively about the nation of Israel but let us remember that there is now a spiritual Israel as well as a physical Israel. In Christ Jesus the two are made one (Eph 2 11-20). The gathering here rightly describes what will happen when Jesus descends and gathers all the saints to himself. Then the unified Israel will dwell safely indeed

15. Jer 33: Please read chapter

**Comment:** This is a critical scripture in the destiny of the Jewish nation of Israel. Because they have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah, when one shall come in the likeness of a messiah and make peace causing the burnt offering to be reinstated they will think that surely the messiah has come not realizing that he is the man of sin. They will think he is the Branch of Righteousness that the Lord said he will cause to grow up unto David (vs. 15). Indeed they will have peace for a season but this same man will cause the sacrifice to cease Dan 9:27 and then "... He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God" (2Th 2:4). It is then they will realize that Jesus is indeed the savoir and messiah and start to mourn for the one whom they pierced. Persecution will break out fiercely against them (Dan 8:23) and against everyone that names the name of Christ. No wonder the Lord Jesus said that for the sake of the elect the time will be shortened otherwise no flesh will be saved. At that time the Lord will pour out the spirit of grace and supplication upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem (the elect) even as they mourn the messiah and now desire his second coming (Zech 12:10, Rev 1:7 , Mat 24:30). It is for this reason that Jesus wept that Israel didn't know the time of their visitation

16. Ezek 38&39 Please read chapters

**Comment:** A future date, a future time! For example 38:8 says a long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be lying in peace after her recovery from war and after the return of her people from many lands. The time of peace is the 1000 years reign of Christ and the aggressor so described speaks about when Satan is released after the 1000 years and musters an army against the Holy city (Ezek 38:15, Rev 20:7-9)

17. Joel 2:1-11 Please read verses

**Comment:** This scripture shows that there will be war and contention on the day of the Lord. When Jesus comes with the heavenly army, there shall be fighting and war till all the wicked are destroyed from the Land (cf. Rev 19:11-21). These two scripture are describing the same events.

18. Joel 2:28-29 It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

**Comment:** We have had a fulfilment of the prophecy on the day of the Pentecost and the fulfilment is still ongoing till it reaches its peak then the other things that should follow happen

19. Joel 2:30-31 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

**Comment:** Several scriptures including this one have mentioned the darkening of the sun and moon as part of the signs of the coming of the Lord (Isa 13:9-10, Isa 24:23, Joel 2:10, Joel 3:15, Mat 24:29 Mar 13:24, Luk 21:25, Rev 6:12). This has not happened (at least there is no record of such in known history) but the preceding verse (i.e. the outpouring of the Spirit) has occurred as earlier stated so these are different events and they happen different from one another

20. Joel 3:16-21 Please read verses

**Comment:** Refers to the time after the second coming of the Lord

21. Amos 9:13-15 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.

**Comment:** Talking about the final restoration of Israel. This is the same restoration that Paul talked about in Rom 11:23-31. This restoration (grafting back) will take place when Jesus comes again

22. Mic 4:1-5 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. 5 For all people will walk everyone in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

**Comment:** Any time the Old Testament prophets talk about the day of the Lord or the future glory of Zion please understand that the fullness of the fulfilment of such prophecy is in the millennial reign of Christ

23. Zep 1:14-18 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

**Comment:** When Jesus comes there will be war and desolation then He will triumph and reign victoriously on earth for 1000 years

24. Zep 3:8-9 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. 9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.

**Comment:** Again, restoration is the theme here just as in Amos 9. The part He said "...I will turn to the people a pure language..." (Zep 3:9) is so beautiful; an end to the commotion that started at the Tower of Babel.

25. Zech 8: Please read chapter

**Comment:** This chapter speaks about the restoration of Israel. The question to be asked is has this occurred. If you ask the average Jew, he will tell you this has not occurred because as a nation they have not experienced the fullness of these words. When will it occur then? There is only one event that scripture has shown over and over again in which God will physically dwell among his people on Earth. This is the millennial reign of Christ. So again the fullness of this chapter is at the second coming of the Lord

26. Zech 12:8-10 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. (9) And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (10) And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

**Comment:** See comment on Jeremiah 33

27. Zech 14 Please read chapter

**Comment:** Talks about a time when the Lord will fight against those who stand against Jerusalem. This will be at the second coming of the Lord. Consider verse 4 that says the Lord shall stand his feet on Mount of Olives. The Lords Jesus will physically descend at his second coming and show his wrath. He will deliver the natural born and spiritual born Israel: all who have believed in Him and confessed Him as their Lord. Notice verse 9 that says the Lord shall be King over the earth: this again is the millennial reign of Christ.

**Appendix B**

A selection of New Testament Scriptures on the Day of the Lord

1. Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

2. Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

3. Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

4. 1Co 1:8 who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

5. 1Co 3:13-15 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. (14) If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

6. 1Co 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

7. 1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

8. 2Co 1:14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

9. Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

10. Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

11. Php 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

12. Php 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

13. Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, and then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

14. 1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

15. 1Ti 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

16. 2Th 1:4-11 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: (5) Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (6) Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; (7) And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (9) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (11) Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

17. 2Ti 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

18. 2Ti 1:18 The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

19. 2Ti 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

20. 2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

21. Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

22. Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

23. Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

24. 1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

25. 1Pe 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

26. 2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

27. 2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

28. 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

29. 2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

30. 1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

31. 1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

32. 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

33. Jud 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

34. Jud 1:14-15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (15) To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
