The Great Tribulation

These are notes from my pastor's sermon series entitled "Last Days." While I am a copious note-taker (and don't want them to go to waste!), I do NOT intend that they replace Pastor Bryan's preaching! Hopefully they will serve as a helpful outline as you listen to the actual sermon, which is available for viewing here:
http://www.firstroanoke.com/HTML/Resources/0410-LastDays/060610/Viewer.shtml

THE GREAT TRIBULATION
"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved ; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." ~Matt 24:21-24 (NASB)

Why study prophecy?  Because God will bless us, teach us, encourage us, draw us closer, and inspire us to be more like Jesus.

The Truth of the Great Tribulation

How can we be sure it will actually take place?
1. Jesus was sure (Matt 24)
2. Bible says it (God said it, that settles it, we believe it!)
3. Signs of the times

What is it? Period of God's wrath upon the earth in a series of judgments spoken in Rev but mentioned in the old and new testaments.  The judgments increase and intensify and the suffering gets worse and worse.

During the first half of the Great Tribulation the earth will experience -
7 Seal judgments (Rev 6): that brings Antichrist, war, famine, death, martyred souls, persecutions, changes on earth, then a period of silence
7 Trumpet judgments (Rev 8-11):  1/3 of earth set afire; 1/3 trees burned; grass will burn; meteor fall in the sea and destroy all the ships and fish; 1/3 sea turn to blood; falling stars will poison 1/3 of the earth's water; 1/3 of the sun, moon and stars will be darkened; 5 months of torture by scorpions; a 200 million man army will kill 1/3 of mankind; major earthquake in which 7,000 will die in Jerusalem alone.


Then the second half of the Great Tribulation, worse than the first 3 and 1/2 years:
7 Bowl judgments (Rev 16): boils; everything in the seas will die; rivers and springs will be turned to blood; sun is intensified with scorching heat; earth is plunged into darkness, Euphrates River dries up; armies attack Israel; great storms with hailstones weighing 100 lbs. Armageddon will follow the judgments at the end of this period.

After all the judgments and the battle at Armageddon, Jesus will return and set up His kingdom and will rule for 1000 years from the city of Jerusalem (Millennial Reign).

The Great Tribulation will be a time -

of judgment. When a holy and just God pours out His wrath upon the earth.

for the Lord to prepare and redefine Israel, getting ready for Christ's return.  Many if the nation of Israel will accept Jesus as Messiah during this time (Deut 4:30-31, Rev 7:1-8 )

God will be faithful to the promises He's made to the nation of Israel, and the promises He's made to the Church.

Daniel 12 tells of times of terror, but also times of God's faithfulness to Israel and the remnant of believers.  (Michael the archangel is the personal guardian over the nation of Israel.)

The Terror in the Great Tribulation
Dr J. Dwight Pentecost gives ten descriptive biblical words that describe this time: wrath, judgment, indignation, trial, trouble, destruction, darkness, desolation, overturning and punishment. He concludes his thoughts with this statement, "No passage can be found to alleviate to any degree whatsoever the severity of this time that shall come upon the earth."

War against Israel (Ezekiel 38-39)
This will likely be one of the first crises after the rapture of the Church. An Islamic-Israeli war could set the stage for the Antichrist's rise to power and subsequent peace treaty (Dan 9:20-27).  Israel will entrust her future to the very man who is determined to wipe them out. Jerusalem will become the political center of the world.

Halfway through the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist will turn on Israel and marshal the world against them to wipe them out once and for all.  But that's not the end... Jesus will return, defeat the Antichrist and bind Satan for 1000 years.

Scary stuff, huh??  But those who have placed their trust in Jesus as Lord can rest easy and KNOW that things are happening according to God's will and plan, and that their eternity is secure and they can live with NO FEAR! Click HERE to learn how YOU can know Jesus as Lord!

Who and What is the Antichrist?

These are notes from my pastor's sermon series entitled "Last Days."  While I am a copious note-taker (and don't want them to go to waste!), I do NOT intend that they replace Pastor Bryan's preaching! Hopefully they will serve as a helpful outline as you listen to the actual sermon, which is available for viewing here:  http://www.firstroanoke.com/HTML/Resources/0410-LastDays/051610/Viewer.shtml


WHO AND WHAT IS THE ANTICHRIST?
May 16, 2010 ~ Dr Bryan Smith, First Baptist Church Roanoke VA

"Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." 
1 John 2:18

Throughout history many individuals have been thought to be the antichrist, including Nero, Peter the Great, Osama Bin Laden, the Pope, Henry Kissinger, Sam Walton, Ronald Reagan and even the apostle Paul! There are many theories and methods that have been used to try to figure out who the antichrist is/will be, and while we don't know WHO he is, we know from Scripture WHAT he is and what his agenda will be.

Who is he? The Bible begins in Genesis with the sin of man, and ends in Revelation with the man of sin (2 Thess 2).  Revelation chapter 13 refers to hims as "the beast."  Some things we know about him:

He will be Satan's superman,
have universal power & influence over the earth,
be the supreme leader of mankind, and
unite all of humanity in a final rebellion against God, Israel and all Christians.

1. The Depiction of the Antichrist
Aside from Jesus, there has never been nor will there ever be another like him - appearing to be supreme & wise, a persuasive orator, and an effective governor and leader.  He will be unlike anything the world has ever seen.  By definition, antichrist is "any individual or group who oppose God and His plan for mankind." (1 John 2:22)  He will not only oppose Christ, but appear as though he IS Christ, the "christ" of the world.

The name "antichrist" is used in only 3 passages in Scripture
1 John 2:22, "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son."
1 John 4:3,  "... but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
2 John 7, "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist."

He will EMBODY Satan himself, and will be superior in all ways to all humans but in NO WAY equal in power and authority to Jesus.

He will be a magnetic leader, captivating the entire world and able to influence the masses (Rev 13:5, Dan 11:36)

He will be a manipulative leader, cunning and shrewd and skilled politically.  If he can't dazzle, he will deceive until he dominates the world (Dan 8:23, 11:21, 7:8).

     He won't have in impressive pedigree or be born into royalty, which will make him universally relateable and accepted.
     He'll likely be a European Gentile, and not of Jewish descent; will be attractive and cosmopolitan (Dan 7:20, Rev 13:1)

In Rev 13:1, he is depicted as a horned dragon coming out of the sea: the sea and water are symbolic of humanity, specifically Gentile nations.  Horns are symbolic of kings, kingdoms & governments. Every euphoric dream of the UN will be realized in him, and he'll be adored by the multitudes.

After the Rapture of the church and during the first half of the tribulation, he will begin to consolidate his power and control.  He will be the ultimate unifier and diplomat, and believed to be God's greatest gift to mankind.

One event will secure his leadership: he'll negotiate a peace treaty in the Middle East between Israel and her Arab neighbors.  This will last for three and a half years as he is perceived as a champion of Israel who allows them to build a new temple in Jerusalem.  This peace will be short-lived as revealed in Dan 9:27 when he ends temple worship.

He will be a merciless leader, unleashing his fury on the world with unimaginable horrors (Dan 7:23-25). The last three and a half years of the tribulation will reveal unprecedented persecutions and cruelty against Christians and Jews.  He will also control the world's economy - everything will be nationalized and no one will be able to buy or sell unless they have received his mark/inscription (Dan 11:43, Rev 13:16).  The atrocities of Nazi concentration camps are a mere glimpse of what's ahead for the world.

2. The Designs of the Antichrist
What could happen that would cause the world - governments and people - to lay down their identities and adopt his conformity?  Panic, confusion and fear after a universal event that is perceived as a threat to the world (the Rapture of the Church). The chaos that will ensue after so many have vanished will create worldwide terror and THEN he will then make himself known. Because people are scared they will surrender and forfeit their freedoms for the promise of the peace and protection the antichrist promises. (Keep in mind that tyrants and dictators such as Bonaparte, Lenin and Hitler have risen to power after a country or nation's calamity and confusion.)

What is his plan?  After he gains control he will engage everyone in war against Israel and God, and anyone who confesses Christ. He will seek to totally wipe out the nation of Israel.

What will happen to him? He will suffer a fatal head wound (Rev 13:3-12) and is declared dead, but will rise from the dead.  This will cause his adoring followers to believe him to be God.

What will he be like? He will embody the leadership skills of Washington and Lincoln, the eloquence of Roosevelt and Reagan, the charisma of Kennedy and Obama, the political savvy of Johnson and Clinton, the intellect of Jefferson and Adams, and the charm of Teddy Roosevelt.  He'll be recognized as the greatest leader in history.

Just as Lucifer led 1/3 of the heavenly hosts in rebellion against God (Is 14:12-14), the antichrist will lead humanity in the rebellion against God. To secure his reputation and power, he will also demand to be worshiped.

How close could we be to these events?  VERY. The US government is developing a supercomputer that can continuously track all financial transactions in this country.  It is called the Federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and has the capacity to track financial transactions not only here in the US, but in around the world (as is currently done with links to INTERPOL). Technological advances such as electronic financial transactions and implanted tracking devices are becoming accepted and even commonplace in society.

3.  The Defeat of the Antichrist 
Rev 13:5,7 - he will be given power, but his defeat is sure. (2 Thess 2:8, Rev 19:20-21)

What should we be doing in the meantime?  Make the most of the time we have, carrying out the Great Commission and praying for others to come to know Jesus!

This is some seriously scary stuff, but Christians are NOT without hope!!  If you wonder about your relationship with the Lord, you can settle it once and for all.  Click HERE to read my testimony.