BIBLICAL PROPHECY TODAY NETWORK
Biblical Prophecy Today Biblical Prophecy Today Biblical Prophecy Today Biblical Prophecy Today
BIBLICAL PROPHECY TODAY with Prophecy in the News
Every day We Post Perspectives in Prophecy
(BiblicalProphecyToday@gmail.com)
(google: "Prophecy Today Q&A" or "Biblical Prophecy Today")
"Articulating Prophecy Biblically"
Prophecy Series
"Questions in Prophecy Biblically"
Prophecy in the News
In our last installment of this study, we came to the Lord’s Olivet discourse, in which He used the great Flood of Noah as an illustration of conditions in the latter days. In His response to them, He used the life of Noah prior to the deluge as an illustration of social and cultural life that would characterize this era. He answered two questions. First, He had told them that He would not, at that time, overthrow the Gentile world system. So their follow-up question was, “If not now, when?” Secondly, they wanted to know what signs would mark His rise to power and the “end of the world,” (the demise of the commercial and religious world system). Their real question centered upon when and how He would overthrow the world system, and establish the Millennial Kingdom. In His reference to Noah and the Flood, Jesus speaks of a “day,” and of an “hour,” that will be preceded by cultural developments similar to those experienced by the family of Noah, as they built the ark: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, “And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:36-39). As we shall see, the instant in time mentioned here is open to debate. We shall undertake to air both sides of the question. But at the beginning, we should at least say that if the Flood of Noah is analogous to the Tribulation, then the lifting of the Ark illustrates a pre-tribulation event. It was built before the Flood, and was lifted up by the Lord and preserved throughout the period of upheaval. We should also state once again that understanding the pre-Flood period is important in the understanding of this prophecy. As earlier mentioned, there are many historical affirmations of the fact that Noah’s contemporaries had been completely corrupted by an invasion by fallen angels, called the Nephilim, or “fallen ones.” These intruders had violated the protocols of heaven in two distinct ways. First, they had brought forbidden knowledge to mankind. The ancients record that these angels taught them everything from metalworking, to astrology, to herbalism. Men, of course, received their teaching as a gift – even a blessing – from on high. There are dozens of references from ancient history that corroborate this fact. Second, they “… took them wives of all which they chose …” (Gen. 6:2). Actually, ancient history tells us that they acted with force to take human women as their mates. In the process, they produced offspring whose genetic lineage was monstrous. For this reason, God destroyed the antediluvean world. Both before and after the Flood of Noah, the entire basis of ancient idolatry was the worship of demigods who had taken human wives, producing a genetically corrupt civilization that threatened to obliterate the Messianic lineage that we now recognize as extending from Adam to Christ. After the Flood, men even attempted to reach those fallen angels again, as is documented in the narrative of the Tower of Babel. When that failed, they were reduced to the idolatries of Mesopotamia and Egypt. A famous example from Greek history gives us some idea of how the ancients view this period: Plato’s Critias, speaking of the immortal sea-god Poseidon who had descended from the heavens, provides one of many references to this antediluvean activity. He writes, “So it was that Poseidon received as one of his domains the island of Atlantis and he established dwelling places for the children he had fathered of a mortal woman in a certain place that I shall describe.” Plato goes on to describe a human man and his wife, who had a daughter: “His name was Evenor and he dwelt there with his wife Leucippe. They had an only child, a daughter by the name of Clito. When this girl grew to marriageable age, both her mother and father died. It was then that Posidon conceived a desire for her and slept with her.” (John M. Cooper, Plato, Complete Works, Indianapolis, IN, Hackett Publishing Co., p.1299) According to Plato, one of the sons of this illicit union was named Atlas. The island where he lived – Atlantis – bore his name. Plato reports that later, the island was forever inundated in a great flood. Of course, this would perfectly correspond with the biblical Flood. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus condemned the men who lived during this period. He wrote, “But for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness, whereby they made God to be their enemy; for many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength, for the tradition is that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants.” (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book One, III, 1) Josephus emphatically states that the Greek Titans of old were one and the same as the giants who came to earth and created a society so depraved that it had to be destroyed. Their disreputable immorality and capricious lawlessness are the mainstays of Graeco-Roman history and drama. In other words, Greek mythology has a basis in reality, just as the Bible says: “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. “And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them” (Gen. 6:4-7). Here is the important point. Jesus told His disciples that this almost unbelievable scenario would be repeated in the days just preceding the Great Tribulation. As He spoke to the disciples, He didn’t go into any detail about the nature of antediluvean society, but history gives us the answer. Jesus knew that those living in this period would have at hand the tools of research necessary to discern the truth of the matter. The information is there, for those who care to look. So what Jesus described as, “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,” we now know from biblical and historical sources, to be a nightmare of squalid depravity. This was the “normal” life of Noah’s generation. Men did as they pleased, nourished by a beautiful environment with perfect weather and everything they needed. This is reflected in the Greek myths of Arcadia, the perfect world of the ancients. But despite their perfect living conditions, men lived in moral squalor. Furthermore, their society was marked by the intrusion of alien forces – fallen angels – who corrupted the human genome, producing a degenerate race so depraved that it had to be destroyed. Counting from his birth to the date of the Flood, the “days of Noah” lasted six centuries! Presumably, toward the end of that time, he built his ark, yet Jesus tells us that the civilization that surrounded Noah (his contemporaries) “knew not” until the moment that the waters began to rise. There is a contemporary myth that Noah built his ark in a place where throngs of unbelievers routinely passed by and stopped to ridicule a crazy man who would build a huge ship where there was no ocean. Depending upon the length of the cubit, it would have been between 475 and 525 feet in length! But you can search the Bible and never find a trace of the jeering crowd. Instead, you see plain statements concerning the disposition of a world already gone bad, to the point that it is beyond redemption: “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:11). Here, the word “corrupt” comes from the Hebrew shachat [,ja], meaning “ruined,” “mutilated,” “marred” or “spoiled.” In the Genesis account, God never asked Noah to preach redemption to his society. Perhaps the idea comes from a New Testament reference in which Noah is described as a “preacher:” “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly” (II Pet. 2:4,5). But here, the thought of preaching is translated from the Greek, kerusso, which means to act as a herald … one who proclaims a truth. There is no evidence that Noah ever acted as an evangelist, but in his obedience, he became God’s herald of truth. In fact, he acts in that role to this day, as a model of Godliness and obedience. Somehow, the Lord arranged it so that Noah’s society never became aware of His plan until after it was put into action. Apparently, his work was secret, and remained so right up until the deluge, at which time, repentance was out of the question. Noah’s family comprised a righteous remnant. They knew that judgment was coming, but the society at large was ignorant of this fact, right up until the Flood came and “took them all away” (Matt. 24:39). The wicked ones were taken in judgment; the righteous remained alive and survived the Flood. At this point, we have a perfect illustration of the rapture of the church. The Lord sealed the ark before the Flood, in the midst of the most intolerable social conditions. It is amazing to consider that even though this ancient society was in contact with angelic forces from on high, they were never given advance warning that a flood was soon to wreak havoc upon the earth. This is analogous to the pre-tribulational conditions that will be (or now are) in force in the years that precede the rise of the antichrist. Most of the world will remain unaware of either the rapture or the coming Tribulation. Still, we are haunted by an interpretational mystery that is woven through this narrative. Among pretribulational teachers, it is a point of contemporary discussion. The “Taken and the “Left” And it is a heavy question: Is the Lord’s example of the Flood of Noah speaking of the judgments of the Tribulation, or of the pre-tribulation rapture? The answer is critical to prophetic interpretation. On this subject, much discussion continues on both sides. We left Jesus’ explanation of the days of Noah in Matthew 24:39, where the Ark was lifted up by the waters of the Great Flood, and the millions left on the ground were swept away:“… the flood came and took them all away.” The Greek verb here is airo, meaning “to lift, carry or take away.” The action of the floodwaters is perfectly described by this verb, which is used many times in the New Testament. A good example is found in John 1:29: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, whichtaketh away the sin of the world.” Here, Jesus’ taking away of sin is analogous to the waters taking away the sinful populace of the pre-Flood world. The picture being presented here is plain. The Ark was taken up; the corrupt society was swept away. It is quite logical to interpret this action as a “catching away” of Noah and his family before a general judgment wipes out the unredeemed. This becomes even more emphatic as we further discuss the verbs found later in this narrative. Jesus continues speaking to the disciples on the basis that the Tribulation (like the Flood) will come without warning, apparently during a period of time when “normal” living is in force. As we have already established, “normal” in the days of Noah was far from twenty-first century, small-town everyday life. It was morally, ethically and genetically debased. And to extend the metaphor, the people of that period had no inkling that they were about to be eradicated. Apparently, we are to infer that this same condition will exist before the Tribulation of those days. At this point, we must once again assert that the seven-year Tribulation will be anything but “normal.” As Jesus applies the picture of the Flood to a future event, He mentions two classes of people … the “taken” and the “left.” The precise disposition of these two groups has been the subject of much discussion: “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. “Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. “But know this, that if the goodman 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”(Matt. 24:40-43). The Prevailing View At this point, we must remember that among those scholars who hold the pretribulational view of Scripture, the prevalent exposition of these verses is that they refer to the Tribulation period, and events that unfold at the Second Coming of Christ. A well-known Bible teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes: “I can hear someone saying to me, ‘Well, preacher you have finally painted yourself into a corner. You said the church and the Rapture are not in the Olivet Discourse, but here they are. Two shall be in the field; one shall be taken and the other shall be left. “Well, my friend, He still is not talking about the Rapture. After all, what is our Lord talking about here? ‘As the days of Noe were.” Who was taken away in the days of Noah? ‘They knew not until the fold came, and took them all away.” They perished in the Flood. This is not referring to the Rapture when the church will be taken out of the world. Rather, this pictures the removing from the earth by judgment those who are not going to enter the millennial kingdom.” (Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol. 4, Pasadena, CA, p. 132) Likewise, Dr. Pentecost observes, “Matthew 24:41-42, ‘Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ Again, this passage is in that discourse in which the Lord outlines His program for Israel, who is already in the tribulation period. The one taken is taken to judgment and the one left is left for the millennial blessing. Such is not the prospect for the church.” (Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1964, p. 162) Dr. Stanley Toussaint mentions the “time indicators” found in the Olivet Discourse. He, too, holds that the entire context of Matthew 24 is Tribulational, and applies only to the elect Jews of that time. He writes: “The second time indicator, in verse 8, may look at the first half of the Tribulation period. The advance in the conditions described in verse 7 seems to parallel, at least in part, the first four seals of Revelation 6. These are the beginning of birth-pangs (Matt. 24:8). “The third time marker, found in verse 14, looks back to verses 9-13. The conditions here may be a general survey of the last half of the Tribulation. From verses 15-28, the coming of the Man of Sin is contrasted with the Lord’s coming. Verses 29-31 describe the glory of his return, as verse 27 anticipates. The application for Israel is given in Matthew 24:32-51. The passage, as was said earlier, is Jewish and relates to a very Jewish context. Because of its Jewishness, neither the church nor the rapture are in view in Matthew 24.” (When the Trumpet Sounds, ed. Ice & Demy, p. 250) Likewise, the late Dr. John F. Walvoord, perhaps the most respected prophecy expositor to emerge from Dallas Theological Seminary, held that Jesus did not speak in reference to the church in His Olivet Discourse: “In His discourse, Christ did not reveal a pretribulational Rapture, and porttribulationists raise the question why this important subject was omitted. The answer, of course, is that up to this time the Rapture had not even been revealed, and the subject matter did not concern itself with the Rapture. It is not unusual in presenting prophetic events for only selected events to be included. In the Old Testament, for instance, the first and second comings of Christ are presented in such a way that few, if any of the Old Testament saints understood that there would be a long period between the two events. The questions the disciples raised did not relate to the Rapture but rather to the specific signs leading up to the second coming of Christ. At this point in their spiritual education the disciples would not have understood the subject of the Rapture any more than they understood the subject of the death and resurrection of Christ. Accordingly, pretribulationists believe that the silence here is understandable. Most pretribulationists agree that the Rapture is not mentioned in Matthew 24.” (Dr. John F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question, Grand Rapids, MI, 1979, p. 186) Having made this statement, Dr. Walvoord then goes on to defend the pretribulational Rapture against those who use the Olivet Discourse to assert that the rapture comes at the end of the Tribulation … the posttribulationists. His defense of the “Jewish only” context of Matthew 24 is aimed directly at their argument that the church goes through the Tribulation. He writes, “The context, [of Matt. 24] however, clearly argues against this. In the illustration from ‘the days of Noah,’ those who are taken away by the flood are the ones who are drowned, and the ones who are left are ones who are left in safety in the ark. It would be strange to have a clear illustration like this be completely reversed in the application of verses 40-41.” (ibid., p. 188) In a later statement, he makes it perfectly clear that purpose of his exposition is to foil the theories of the posttribulationists: “It should be obvious to the impartial reader that the posttribulationsts simply have not made a case. At the second coming of Christ, indeed, many will be taken in judgment and some will be left to enter the millennial kingdom. This is exactly the opposite of what happens at the Rapture.” (ibid., p. 189) Walvoord’s contextually-based defense of the pretribulational Rapture is easy to understand. However, it should be noted that the disciples to whom He spoke were not simply the representatives of Israel and of classic Judaism. Nor did they represent the regathered national Israel of the latter days. Rather, they were soon to become the fathers of the early church. Jesus’ Olivet Discourse does speak of latter-day Israel, of global wars and geophysical upheavals. It speaks of birth-pangs and the “abomination of desolation” (v.15). It even speaks of His Second Coming in “power and great glory” (v. 30), and latter-day Israel as the greening of the fig tree (Matt. 24:32). But then, Jesus brings in a non-Jewish illustration, using Noah’s experience to illustrate conditions before the Flood … in other words, before the Tribulation. Noah, who preceded Abraham, the first Hebrew, was not Jewish. His experience was not Jewish. He was a man who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and who was sealed by God’s own hand in a floating Ark, while the unsaved were swept away. Noah rode above the Flood, in the same way that the church will ride above the Tribulation in the Rapture. An Alternate View However, there are believers in the pretribulational Rapture, who are convinced that the current majority point of view is not the correct one. One of the best known is Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, who argues the opposing view. He writes, “Within premillennial and pretribulational circles, the majority view today is that this passage is speaking of the Second Coming rather than the Rapture. Two main reasons are given. First: contextually, Jesus has been speaking about the Second Coming and since this passage follows that discussion, then, logically, it would mean that He is speaking of the same thing. Second: the ‘taking away’ of Matthew 24:40-41 is taken to be the same as verse 39, which is a ‘taking away’ in judgment. Hence, the ‘taking away’ is in judgment at the Second Coming, and not the blessing of the Rapture.” He continues, “In answer to the first point, Matthew 24:36 begins with the word But, which in Greek is peri de. The peri de construction in Greek is a contrastive introduction of a new subject and, hence, is often translated as: But concerning (I Cor. 7:1; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1; I Thess. 5:1; etc.). The usage of this construction points to the introduction of a new subject. So yes, He has been discussing the Second Coming until this point. However, the peri demeans that He is now introducing a new subject, and that is the Rapture. This would not be the first time the chronological sequence of the Olivet Discourse, was broken to speak of an earlier event. It also happened in Luke 21:12. In answer to the second point, the “taking away” in verses 40-41 is a different Greek word than the one used in verse 39, and so it need not be interpreted as the same kind of ‘taking away.’” (Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum,Footsteps of the Messiah, Tustin, CA, 2003, pp. 648, 649). We have already pointed out that in Matthew 24:39, “took … away” comes from the verb that means to carry away, in this case, by the waters of the Flood. Dr. Fruchtenbaum mentions that the second occurrence of “taking away” uses a different verb. He is quite correct. Verses 40 and 41 (one taken, the other left) translate the word “taken”from the Greek paralambano. Unlike the first verb, airo, this one means, “to take to or to take with oneself.” It seems most logical, therefore, to interpret the action of these verses as individuals being “taken to be with the Lord,” rather than “taken in judgment.” Interpreted in this way, the ones “left” are those left behind, to experience judgment. This explanation is emphasized in the observation that Jesus’ words end in an exhortation to “watch,” using the Greek verb, gregoreo, meaning to continually be spiritually alert or awake. This vital directive is given to “the goodman of the house,” (the master of the house) not to the sinner in the world. This is simply another indication that the one “taken” is to be watching for the Lord. This would, by definition, be the saved, not the unsaved. The “taken”would therefore, be those saved; the “left” would be the unsaved; the ones whose houses would be “broken up” would be those who were not watching, in other words, those spiritual people who are saved. “Ye know not what hour…” This brings us to another important point. Because of the way they are described, the “day”and “hour” in question are most logically interpreted as the Rapture, not the Second Coming. Jesus closes his dissertation upon the days of Noah by referencing an earlier statement. Remember, He began the “Days of Noah” dissertation by stating, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matt. 24:36). Now, He concludes with the assertion that the “hour” of His coming is absolutely unknowable, beyond any human reckoning: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh”(Matt. 24:44). Like bookends, these two verses bracket the illustration that the Tribulation will come in the same manner as Noah’s Flood. As we have seen from the examples above, contemporary pretribulational thinking is that the “day and hour” Jesus has in mind is that of His Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation. But this simply cannot be the case, because many of those alive during the Tribulation will have read and understood prophetic Scripture. By reading Revelation, they will understand that there is a finite time period from the beginning to the middle of the Tribulation: “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth” (Rev. 11:2,3). The first half of the Tribulation is 1,260 days, forty-two months or three and half years. Those alive at that time will also understand that the second half of the Tribulation will also be three and a half years long, beginning with the deaths of the two witnesses and the persecution of Israel: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Rev. 12:6). The elect who are alive during the Tribulation will know the Scriptures, and will be able to perfectly calculate the Lord’s Second Coming, which will be dated precisely seven years after the signing of the covenant between the antichrist and the leaders of Israel. This is yet another reason to believe that the “Days of Noah” discourse is talking about the Rapture – an undatable event – as contrasted with the Second Coming, which will be quite datable. Those alive during the Tribulation will, indeed, be able to calculate “the day and the hour!” They will count the days of that dark period in a gravely serious manner, and with great attention to the passing details of the period. Antichrist’s Rise to Power As earlier stated, the “days of Noe” (v. 37), were, by definition, the days that preceded the Flood. During that period, the society surrounding him grew increasingly degenerate. Noah and his family were the only righteous beings on the face of the earth, while the “giants”who were present at that time were the leaders of his contemporary culture. They were fallen angels, and their master was Satan. Thus, an increasing evil characterized the period. This is exactly what is prophesied to happen in the days that precede the Tribulation. As Paul writes to Timothy: “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 …” (ITim. 4:1) The doctrines spoken of here are one and the same as the doctrines that were taught by the fallen angels prior to the Flood. Paul also wrote: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (II Tim. 3:1). This is a reference to the insanely out-of-control society that will emerge in the days before the Tribulation … the last days of the Church Age. This period will be characterized by exactly the same conditions that prevailed as Noah built the Ark. A rising apostasy will saturate the world with the ancient idolatries that defined Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. Remember, they worshiped the gods of sky, land, sea and atmosphere. They also worshiped the goddesses of fertility, and of protection. Called by Diana and her other names, Athena, Minerva or Columbia, she is the woman whose image now stands atop our own Capitol building in Washington. She quietly awaits her hour of dominance as Mystery Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots. These were the gods and goddesses of Noah’s world. And just as the fallen angels and their grotesque offspring rose to prominence in the days of Noah, the antichrist will rise to power in the days before the Tribulation: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. “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; “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. (II Th. 2:1-4). Here, the subject is the imminent return of Jesus, as He catches away His body of believers, the church. Those of this body are urged not to live in a state of anxiety. In particular, they are not to let anyone convince them that they are experiencing (or about to experience) life in the Tribulation. That day … the Day of the Lord … will be ushered in by the rise to power of the antichrist, and of his revealing. As the Old Testament prophecy of Daniel tells us, he will sign a covenant with the leaders of Israel, assuring them that they are free to rebuild the Temple and begin worship there. Later, as we are told here, he will use that Temple as his own base of operations. This event, which Jesus calls the “abomination of desolation,” comes at the middle of the seven-year Tribulation. He could not sign that covenant with any credibility at all, unless he had already risen to some prominence among the leaders of the world. Perhaps, at that point, his influence towers above all the other world leaders, giving him the right to grant permission to Israel. Given the current situation in the Middle East, imagine what that must mean! Today, no Muslim would sit still if any world leader were to grant such a favor to Israel. And so, in the few verses above, we have a perfect illustration that applies the metaphor of the days of Noah, to the latter days of prophecy. According to Daniel’s prophecy, the antichrist will rise to power using exactly the same ungodly powers that were used to dominate Noah’s world before the Flood. Notice in the following passage, how he rebels against God, while acknowledging an alien power, whom he exalts in a great show of wealth and power: “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. “But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things” (Dan. 11:36-38). The question is: Precisely how long before his affirmation of the seven-year covenant will he come to his great power? As we continue this study, we shall attempt to further refine our view of this period. We have already stated that it must be some time in length … perhaps three and a half to four years. As we continue this study, we shall develop the idea that the Bible predicts a world living under conditions of false peace and security. It must certainly be presided over by the antichrist, in the early days of his influence. Even now, we may be seeing those days, as they develop before our eyes. Remember Jesus’ own words: “Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matt. 24:42).Pre-Pretribulation Rapture: Part 3
|
Yes! Jesus is Coming!
