It’s The End Of The World As We Know It

Matthew 24:36

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

The Rise of the Antichrist

2 Thessalonians 2:2–4 “not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”

The Scriptures speak of both the person of the Antichrist and the Spirit of the Antichrist (1 John 4:1-3)

Antichrist means “against or instead” of Christ.

The Antichrist will proclaim himself to be God and attempt to dethrone God.

The Great Tribulation

Matthew 24:21–22 “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

The Tribulation will last 7 total years that can be divided in half. The first half seems to be hard, but the second half is unbearable.

1/4 of people on Earth will die during the Tribulation (Rev 6:8)

1/3 of the vegetation on the Earth will be burned up (Rev 8:7)

The sun and the moon will go dark and nature will be upset (Rev 8:12)

There will be a worldwide famine unlike any ever seen (Rev 18:8)

The Second Coming of Christ

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

This is NOT the Rapture. This is a separate event.

Rev 19:11-16 gives a detailed account of the Return of Jesus.

Jesus will return to settle the Battle of Armageddon and will usher in a 1,000 year reign (Rev 20:1-6)

The Great White Throne Judgement

Rev 20:11-15.

This is the final judgement for “the dead” or those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior

Those who have not accepted Christ will be judged for all the things that have done- and their punishment will be in the Lake of Fire.

Believers in Christ will go through a separate judgement called the Judgement Seat of Christ. (Romans 14:10-12; 1 Cor 3:10-4:5)

The New Heaven and Earth

Rev 21.

The New Heavens and Earth give way for God’s original plan of fellowship with humankind to be ushered in

The destruction of the current Heaven and Earth also destroys all that sin has broken.

The New Jerusalem is the capitol city of the New Heaven and Earth

No pain, crying, death (v4) and we will have complete fellowship with God (v3)

The Bible’s Teaching on the end of times is rooted in our need to stand firm

Matthew 24:3–4 “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.”

Luke 21:36 “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.””

Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.”

Matthew 24:13 “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

What should we do, then?

We should pay attention to the signs (Matt 24:32-35)

We should share the Gospel of Christ

We need to stand firm and be prepared (Matt 25:1-13)