Hey Family,

Part of our study on current events and biblical prophecy involves unpacking the pre-tribulational view that FBC embraces (and that I personally hold), regarding Christ’s rapture of the church. It’s important for you to understand as we continue in our journey of exploring how Biblical prophecy and world events converge. But can I also whisper something hopeful to you? It’s important for you to understand because I believe the Bible’s teaching about the rapture of the church is meant to deliver a fresh wind of comfort and courage to the core of your being.

In this post, I’m putting a resource in your hand that sets up a framework and a context for understanding the timing of the rapture of the church from a pre-tribulation perspective.

Below, I’ve included a basic timeline as well as the key scriptures that describe each end-time event. These are definitely not exhaustive; my greatest hope is that this will be a springboard for you to dive into God’s Word on your own and continue your personal study.

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THE RAPTURE

KEY TEXTS: John 14:2-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

DESCRIPTION: A signless, imminent event when all believers will be transformed and taken instantly to meet Jesus in the air.

• PRE-TRIBULATION VIEW
  Those who hold to a pre-tribulation rapture believe that Christ will return to rescue His church before the 7-year tribulation period begins, sparing the church fully from its judgments and persecution.

• MID-TRIBULATION VIEW
  The mid-tribulation view places the Rapture at the half-way point of the 7-year tribulation. In this view, Christians would be subject to the first half of the tribulation turmoil, but spared from the escalated suffering of the “Great Tribulation” in the second half.

• POST-TRIBULATION VIEW
  Those who take a post-tribulation approach believe that Christ will rescue His church at the end of the 7-year tribulation period, and that the church would remain present during the full extent of persecution on earth. This view pairs the rapture of the church with Christ’s second coming.

THE GAP PERIOD & EZEKIEL 38 WAR

KEY TEXT: Ezekiel 38-39

DESCRIPTION: A period between the rapture of the church and the Antichrist’s signing of a peace treaty with Israel. Some theologians believe that the Ezekiel 38 War reasonably fits in this gap.

THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIBULATION

KEY TEXT: Daniel 9:27

DESCRIPTION: A world leader (The Antichrist) will rise to power and broker a deal between Israel and “many” which will officially begin the 7 years of Tribulation.

THE MIDPOINT OF THE TRIBULATION

KEY TEXTS: Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:1-2, Revelation 13:11-18

DESCRIPTION: The Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel, defile the temple by putting up an image (many believe, an image of himself), and force everyone to worship the image. He will also initiate a world-wide globalism and require every man, woman, and child to take the mark of the Beast.

THE RETURN OF CHRIST

KEY TEXT: Revelation 19:11-21

DESCRIPTION: Christ will physically return to earth followed by the raptured church-age believers and the angels.

The Millennial Kingdom

KEY TEXT: Revelation 20:1-6

DESCRIPTION: Christ will reign from His throne in Jerusalem for 1,000 years. Satan will be bound for the 1,000 years and then be released for one final battle against Christ, where he will be quickly defeated and thrown permanently into the lake of fire…Then comes…

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT

KEY TEXT: Revelation 20:11-15

DESCRIPTION: An event when all nonbelievers throughout all of human history will stand before God to be judged and, sadly, thrown into the lake of fire. Believers will not stand before God at this judgement because we have been covered by the atonement of Jesus - that is, Christ has paid the entire penalty of our sin with His blood and clothed us in His spotless robes of righteousness. When God looks at us, He sees the perfection of His Son.

The New Heaven and New Earth

KEY TEXT: Revelation 21

DESCRIPTION: The place where we will spend eternity with the Lord. This is the realm where we will enjoy the fullness of Christ’s promise, “I make all things new!”

In Him,
Pastor Phil

In January 2022, we jumped into a brand new series: “What In The World!?” The Convergence of Biblical Prophecy & World Events”. As a supplemental resource, Pastor Phil wanted to provide a “starter pack” of helpful information from our series introduction, as well as a list of the resources he has personally found beneficial while leading us through this critical - and complex - topic.

SOME FACTS & FIGURES ON BIBLICAL PROPHECY:

• There are 8,000 prophetic verses in the Bible.

• One out of every 30 verses in the N.T. contains prophecy.

• 23 out of 27 N.T. books mention the second coming of Jesus.

• For every time the first coming of Jesus is mentioned, the second coming is mentioned 8 times!

• The first prophecy concerning Jesus is in Genesis 3:15 (thousands of years before His arrival)!

• There are 333 prophecies about Jesus…Only 109 have been fulfilled through His first coming…There are still 224 prophecies yet to be fulfilled!

“Every single prophecy will be fulfilled;
the Bible is batting 1000.”

BIBLICAL PROPHECY & ISRAEL

• The dispersement of the Jewish people in AD 70

• Their mistreatment and preservation

• The desolation of their homeland

• The return of the Jewish people

• The rebirth of Israel as a literal nation

• The ensuing attacks from border nations

• The growing financial and military strength of Modern Israel

• The global obsession with this tiny nation

• The exact geographical configuration of the Middle East today

• Over the past 120 years, more than 3.5 million Jews have changed their citizenship and have immigrated back to Israel.

…All of these are foretold in great detail through various prophecies that were written thousands of years ago!

PASTOR PHIL’S RESOURCES

The path that Pastor Phil chose to walk on through this study comes from Dr. David Jeremiah’s book, “Where Do We Go From Here?”. This resource is referenced often throughout this sermon series. If you would like to dive into deeper study on your own, Pastor Phil invites you to use this resource, as well as 3 more he has selected:

“Where Do We Go From Here?”
Dr. David Jeremiah

Description:
Today’s headlines shout of modern plagues, social tensions, economic crises, and rampant depression. Many are asking, what day is it on God’s prophetic calendar? Trusted Bible teacher and Pastor, Dr. David Jeremiah opens up the Word of God to reveal what it has to say about the days we are living in.

“The Prophecy Pros’ Illustrated Guide to tough questions about the end times”
Jeff Kinley & Todd Hampson

Description:
In a field often clouded by confusion and sensationalism, keeping track of what the Bible says about the end times can be challenging even for seasoned believers. That’s why the bestselling authors behind the Prophecy Pros Podcast are here to bring you a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the most need-to-know facts about what is to come.

“Fault lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe”
Voddie T.Baucham Jr.

Description:
In this powerful book, Voddie Baucham, a preacher, professor, and cultural apologist, explains the sinister worldview behind the social justice movement and Critical Race Theory—revealing how it already has infiltrated some seminaries, leading to internal denominational conflict, canceled careers, and lost livelihoods. Like a fault line, it threatens American culture in general—and the evangelical church in particular.

“Understanding the times: The collision of Today’s Competing Worldviews”
David A. Noebel

Description:
This book is a landmark guide to understanding the ideas and forces that are shaping our times. From Christianity to Islam to Humanism to Marxism to the New Age to Postmodernism, Understanding the Times provides Christians with a readable, comprehensive treatment of the most significant religious worldviews operating in Western Civilization.

REMEMBER THIS…

“God knew all of this would happen…
God told us all of this would happen…
God has a plan for you and me in the fulfillment of it all!”

Here are a few lock screens to download to your phone and use as a reminder this week!