2005 & Beyond: An Overview Of The Endtimes

By Fred Handschumacher


Introduction

Our study represents an "overview" of Biblical prophecy from the time of Daniel to the present. To save space, it is not designed to be specific or accurate to an exact day. Lots of detail was left out on purpose so that the reader can quickly come up to speed in a short time. Yet, this article may be too lengthy and detailed for casual reading. If you take the time to read this material, it will help you understand why our time on earth is about over. This study is done from a Biblical endtime perspective. Yet, it should be understood that all discussions about the end of the age involves some speculation based on the facts "as we know them".

When it comes to understanding Biblical truth, no one stands alone. I wish that all the things in this study came directly from my diligence and hard work--but it didn't. God uses other ministry gifts to teach and instruct us from the first day we believe on Christ. At some point, He expects us to mature and receive instruction directly from our teacher, the Holy Spirit. Yet, even then revelation from the Spirit can come from human sources. God sets Spirit-anointed teaching ministries in his Church for that purpose. All of us are greatly influenced by the input from others. Only a fool would fail to take advantage of a lifetime of spiritual knowledge. Over 35 years, I can point to 20 or more people that God used to equip me to walk in truth. When you think about it--that's over 20 lifetimes worth of information about God. No other generation has had these advantages.

Special recognition: The following commentary was influenced by believers in Christ who are committed to not only walking in truth, but to also identifying the season of Christ's return for his Church. These people are: Chuck Missler, J.R. Church, Dr. Dwight Pentecost, Charles Capps, Hal Lindsay, Jack Kinsella, Thomas Ice, Billye Brim, Dr. Thomas McCall, Ron Graff, Matthew McGee, Jim Bramlett, Tom Gaston and Miriam Howard. There are others. Some names may be unfamiliar to our readers. Many come from outside my "Christian peer" group. Yet, the revelation they received and shared with the Body of Christ is "priceless" for those who will listen. That doesn't mean we agree on everything. Actually, no where in this study do I suggest that these believers agree with any of my writings. It wasn't an accident that I came in contact with these unique ministries. Their collective input over the years gave me the answers (like pieces of a puzzle) to some difficult questions. Not only that, but I feel far better equipped to know the season of the return of our Lord.

Our Endtime View

My perspective is "Pre-tribulational and Pre-millennial. I will be sharing from this position. According to Bible prophecy in both the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation, the final days of this age occurs during what's known as "The Tribulation". The popular view is that the Tribulation is divided into two halves--each 3.5 years (1260 days) in length. The last 3.5 year period is known as "The Great Tribulation". The pre-tribulational understanding acknowledges that the Church Age, also known as the "The Age of Grace" (the age or dispensation that we're in now) comes officially to an end when the Lord Jesus appears in the air and calls his Church (the Bride of Christ) out of the world just before the Tribulation period (the initial pouring out of God's wrath) starts (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

The two Biblical models for our exodus is revealed through the story of Lot--who escaped Sodom (with angelic help) before God destroyed the city (Gen. chapter 19). . .and Noah who escaped the flood in an ark that floated safely above the judgement taking place on the earth below (Luke 17:26-30). Jesus pulls his Church out of the world because, by it's very nature as "the body of Christ", it is not to experience condemnation or God's judgement along with the wicked of the world (Gen. 18:20-26, Rom. 8:1, 1 Thess. 5:9, 1 Thess. 4:16-18). The Pre-millennial position simply means that Christ's 1000-year Millennial Kingdom begins immediately after the Tribulation, which is terminated by his physical Second Coming to the earth when "every eye will see him". In this sense, "Pre-millennial" means that Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation period--and before the millennim begins. This is the Biblical viewpoint when you keep all Scripture in context. However, its truths are constantly under attack from post-tribulational and reformed theologians in the institutional church.

The Angel Gabriel Gives Daniel A Key

Important Note: My views expressed in this section concerning Daniel's vision were influenced by the research of Miriam Howard. Miriam is a Messianic Jewish believer. Her insight after studying Bible prophecy for many years is invaluable, in my opinion. However, in view of her influence, I'm not suggesting that she agrees with all beliefs I hold.

The time-line for the last days clearly originate from Daniel's vision when the angel Gabriel gave him what's known as the "70 week prophecy" (Daniel 9:20 thru Daniel 12:12). Different prophecy students have their own interpretation of the angel's message, yet most accept it as the Bible's endtime blueprint. This prophecy provides prophetic details that impact Israel in the last days. . .from the first advent of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. . .all the way through to the time of "Jacob's Trouble", which occurs in the last three and a half years of Daniel's 70th week.

The angel that gave the message to Daniel said that these 70 weeks are not normal weeks. Each week in the prophecy is a "week of years" (consisting of 7 years for each week). The "70 weeks" equals 490 years. Unknown to most readers--It also equals ten jubilee cycles of 49 years each. In other words, Daniel's "seventy weeks" begin in a 49th Jubilee year and ends on a 49th Jubilee year in order to stay synchronized to these weekly cycles. Some of us believe (as I do) that God doesn't just count time in days--but in what's called "sabbatical weeks", or periods using a "week of years" as illustrated in the angel's message to Daniel. This method of keeping time is the key to interpreting endtime events.

In Daniel's vision the angel said that this seventy week time-clock would start during Israel's Babylonian captivity with a decree "to rebuild Jerusalem". Three decrees are given during this time by King "Artaxerxes. Most endtime theologians believe that the decree given to Nehemiah in 445 BC is the correct one. They can show you the math that proves their assertions. Yet, there is more evidence (and the math that supports it) that the correct decree was given to Ezra in 457 BC because it can be proven historically that this was a 49th Jubilee year--a very important link to Daniel's prophecy (see Ezra 7:11-21). The other decrees do not synchronize with the sabbatical cycles in this manner. I won't go into any more detail than this because it's too complex for a general discussion.

Daniel's Prophecy And Current Events

If you follow the 70 week timeline from the decree Ezra received, you arrive at the baptism of Jesus (when he was officially revealed to Israel) in 26 AD exactly on the last day of Daniel's 69th week. After Christ's three and a half year ministry--Israel rejects their Messiah and Jesus is crucified (cut off). This "cutting off" is recorded in Daniel's 70-week prophecy (Daniel 9:25-26). If this information is accurate, Christ's crucifixion happened half-way through Daniel's 70th week and not at the end of the 69th as is commonly believed. What confuses Bible students is the way God can stop time and insert something called "a parenthesis". Israel is known as "God's time clock". When the Jews rejected their Messiah and cut him off, God stopped the count of Daniel's 70 weeks, a time specifically keyed to the nation of Israel. He stopped this clock in the middle of the 70th week (after the conclusion of the 69th week according to Daniel 9:25-26.

Following the crucifixion of Christ God began his prophetic program for the Church and the Gentile nations. Contrary to popular teaching--this dispensation known as "the new covenant in Christ's blood" was not preached before the cross. God temporarily turned his attention away from the Jews and started working with the Church. Many of us believe this "Church Age" will last for 2000 years (symbolically spoken of as 2 days in various parables of Christ). Yet, we need to keep in mind that God counts years differently than we do under our modern "Gregorian calendar" system. God uses what's called "prophetic years" or 360 day/years. We use 365 solar day/years. If you go by God's method of keeping time this 2000-year Church Age ended somewhere around the fall of 2001 (when 911 and the global war on terrorism started). In my opinion, I don't believe 911 was a coincidence--it was a time marker and a warning that God's time clock was about to start again. The Gregorian year 2001 (Jewish year 5761) was also the first year (known as the "majority year") of the sabbatical cycle carried through from Old Testament chronology. I believe that another three and a half years must pass in order to align us with the middle of the cycle--where God originally stopped it back in the Spring of 30 AD. The deadline for this event is the Spring of 2005. Yet, we must keep in mind that there are minor errors in our time-keeping methods.

The key to understanding the season of the Church's departure is knowing when God restarts his prophetic program with Israel. I believe that's the event we're all looking for. We may know a season, but not an exact day. Some believe the departure of the Church must happen on a major Jewish feast day--such as Passover. Others believe it's on the feast of Pentecost--both occurring in the Spring of the year. I won't debate those beliefs in this article. I'm not persuaded that our departure has to happen on a Jewish feast day because the ascension of Jesus Christ (a prophetic picture of our departure) didn't happen that way. Christ's departure happened after Passover and 10 days before the feast of Pentecost in 30 AD. Due to calendar errors (in both the Jewish and Gregorian systems) over the last 2500 years, I'm satisfied that we might know a season--if our facts are correct.

When the Church departs to meet with Christ--and the Age of Grace ends, God's original 70-week timeline with Israel will commence--starting where it left off with the last three and a half years of Daniel's 70th week. This period is known as "Jacob's Trouble" and has nothing to do with the Church, which has departed to be with Christ--its head. This last three and a half years (1260 days) of Daniel's 70-week prophecy make up the first three and a half years of the Tribulation period. The last three and a half years (1260 days) of the Tribulation is known as the "Great Tribulation" and involves God's judgement of the remaining Gentile nations of the world that hate him. The Great Tribulation follows the conclusion of Daniel's 70th week and occurs outside this time-line. This period ends in the famous "Battle of Armageddon" and the physical return of Christ to the earth--in Jerusalem.

God's 6000 Year Agenda For Man

Several theologians used the Holy Scriptures to calculate the total number of years from creation to the present. Bishop James Ussher (around 1520 AD) calculated that God created the earth around 4004 BC. His research was included in the notes of the KJV Bible of 1700. He used the chronology of the Bible for his calculations. Several men since Ussher's time performed the same study with similar results. Popular teaching claim that from the time of creation 6000 years terminated somewhere between 1996 and 2001. This period of 6000 years is prophetically important. We know that errors exist in our calendars--so it's difficult to be exact. Most of the early church fathers were "Chilists". This is the belief that God created the earth in 6 literal 24 hour days--yet each of these days represented a 1000 year period in God's agenda for man (2 Peter 3:8). The early apostles believed that after 6000 years of human history the seventh millenium, Christ's millennial reign, will begin. If the beliefs of these godly men are correct we are on the threshold of a major event.

The Jewish calendar reports the number of years from creation to the present. In the fall of 2004 the Jewish civil New Year of 5765 began. Yet, it is known that the Jewish calendar has a flaw. Research shows that at some point in history Rabbis decided to change the calendar. Some modern Jewish theologians discovered that the Jewish calendar is short between 238 and 241 years. Yet, religious tradition will prevent any change to the current calendar system. If you make this correction it is somewhere between 6003 and 6006 on the Jewish calendar--not 5765. We need to remember that God has his own method of keeping time and the Bible is keyed to the Jewish calendar system--not our Gregorian system. The ending of 6 millennia of human history is an important time marker. The seventh millennia is the kingdom reign of our Lord. Studying the timeline of Biblical history is a complex subject all by itself and worthy of study.

The Rebirth Of Israel

Jesus said that a major sign of the last days is when the fig tree (a Biblical symbol of Israel) would shoot forth its leaves (Luke 21:29-31). References from Old Testament prophets verify that Israel returns from being dispersed throughout the world. . .and will dwell again in their land during the last days (Jer. 30:1-3 Ezekiel 20:33-37 Isaiah 60:20-21). The blood covenant made between God and Abraham in Genesis chapter 15 was all about insuring Israel's reoccupation of its ancient land. This important event occurred in 1948 when Israel, for the first time in over 1900 years, became a nation--again. More importantly, endtime Bible prophecy focuses on the Jewish occupation of Jerusalem after being in Gentile hands for thousands of years (Zech. 12:2-3). This important time marker occurred when Israel, in the "Six Day War" of 1967, retakes Jerusalem. Yet, Israel decided to give back the Temple Mount area to Arab control.

The Temple Mount is where it is believed the third Jewish temple must be rebuilt. This endtime temple is referred to in the book of Revelation and the epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians. It is the place where the anti-christ (Saint Paul referred to him as "man of sin") will make his wicked proclamation that he is God (2 Thess. 2:4). The disobedient act of returning the Temple Mount to Gentile authority has caused untold bloodshed for Israel. Some of us believe that it parallels Israel's failure to enter the Promised Land after leaving Egypt. God caused them to wonder in the wilderness for 38 years until that unbelieving "generation" died. Popular understanding is that Israel wondered for 40 years--but a closer study shows that the actual punishment (wondering time) was 38 years (the additional 2 years involved travel into and later out of the wilderness). If this analogy is factual this 38-year parallel punishment will end in the Spring-Summer of 2005. If God uses the entire 40 years--time will be up in the Spring-Summer of 2007. This is another prophetic time marker.

Confusing Israel With The Church

Bible Prophecy draws a clear distinction between God's prophetic program for the nation of Israel and his prophetic program for the New Testament Church. They are not the same. A popular ideology has existed in church doctrine for nearly 1500 years. It has gone almost totally undetected until recently. It's called "Replacement Theology". This belief (in countless and various forms) is embedded in the doctrine of nearly all-modern churches. It takes Scripture addressed to Israel (the Jews) and reassigns it to the Church-Age Christian. These two groups represent different dispensations and you can't mix them together. It's the main cause of legalistic doctrine in the church. In many places today the Bible is being rewritten. Whenever the Scriptures use the word "Israel" modern Bible teachers suggest that it actually means "The Church". Proponents of this theology teach that the Church is now the "New Israel". This practice injects dangerous new error and Scriptural misinformation into our understanding of the last days. As a result, some theologians insist that the Bible supports the idea that the Church will experience the judgements of the Tribulation along with the wicked (unrighteous) of the world. Some of the proponents of this belief are what I call "Tribulation-saint wannabes". They will fight you for the right to be involved in this time of judgement--as ridiculous as that sounds.

Replacement theology causes us to take the Words of Jesus Christ directed at Israel (the Jews) during his "Olivett Discourse" (and other places) and force them onto the Church-Age believer. In his Olivett sermon, Jesus is describing the events that would precede and occur during Israel's time of Jacob's Trouble. These events involve God's dealings with the Jewish nation of Israel over their sin (Daniel 9:24). It happens in the 70th week of Daniel's endtime prophecy and has nothing to do with the Church (the body of Christ) that is removed before this judgement begins. God's prophetic program for Israel is recorded primarily in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Revelation. God's prophetic program for the Church of Jesus Christ (also known as the "Bride of Christ") is found in the epistles of Saint Paul. God tells us that His program for the mostly Gentile "Church Age" was a "mystery" (it was unknown) before He revealed it to Saint Paul.

The blood of Jesus Christ has already eternally dealt with the Church's sin. Jesus bore our judgement. This means that no other judgement (or purification) is required to punish the sins of the Church-Age believer (Romans 8:1, 1 Thess. 5:9). If another judgement against sin is required during the Tribulation, then the sufficiency of the blood of Christ becomes meaningless. If you hold to these Biblical facts it will keep you from some of the serious error that's floating around in Bible prophecy circles. Much of it carries a spirit of fear and is designed to generate hopelessness.

The Danger Of False Brethren

Saint Paul shares about some of the perils he faced as an apostle of Christ:


"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. . .in perils among false brethren" (2 Cor 11:23-26)

We cannot study the last days without covering a very disturbing, yet necessary topic. Make no mistake--this is a painful and offensive look at something almost never talked about in church services today. Saint Paul warned the Galatian Christians about "false brethren" (Gal. 2:4). These are well-meaning and sincere "professing Christians" who taught a gospel that was contrary to his. I believe 9 out of 10 Christians today fall into this category. I hope I'm wrong. The problem is that false brethren don't know that they're false. They believe they're right. Most of us ignore the fact that the New Testament records the transition from the Jewish Mosaic Law to Grace in Christ. These two dispensations--the covenants that rule them--and the gospel messages they're associated with, both exist in the New Testament Scriptures. The practice of confusing these two covenant dispensations result in the doctrine of the false brethren. Their message is difficult to identify because they use New Testament Scripture to defend their beliefs--just as we do under Grace. However, we ignore the fact that the Scripture they use is meant for a people under a different dispensation--and a different gospel.

The false brethren teach a gospel of righteousness through works (Gal. 3:1-3). Paul said that the driving force behind their teaching is not the Spirit of God, but a spirit of "witchcraft". We won't cover that subject in this study. False brethren believe their righteousness with God comes through their efforts to live sinlessly. They earnestly believe their motivations are grounded in an intense devotion to Christ. Yet, they actually orignate with the law of the Mosaic Covenant and the principles associated with it. The false brethren believe themselves to be sincerely devoted to Christ and work very hard to further His cause. Saint Paul had a lot to say about these people. They constantly troubled inexperienced Gentile saints and tirelessly worked to undermine his ministry.

True brethren in Christ obey the salvation principles of Grace taught in the Pauline Revelation. Saint Paul's gospel (also known as "the Gospel of Grace) teaches a righteousness imputed to us as a free gift (Rom. 5:15-17). This righteousness is the result of faith and does not come through our efforts to live sinlessly. Yet, Saint Paul commands the true brethren to "depart from iniquity". For this reason the accusation that the Gospel of Grace teaches a "license to sin" is dishonest and false. False brethren are offended by the truth that, under Grace, righteousness never comes from living sinlessly. This fact tends to make all their hard work meaningless because it removes "self" from making any contribution to their initial salvation. Receiving salvation under Grace takes a lot of humility. Grace actually demands that we die to the idea of demanding salvation on "our terms". False brethren refuse to accept the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which was "paid in full" by his blood--and therefore freely imputed as a gift--without works.

Five important Scriptures emphasize the difference between these covenant positions:

"But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; as it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Rom 9:31-33)


"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."(Gal 5:4-5)


"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom 3:24-28)


"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Cor 5:21)


"Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness." (Rom 4:6-9)


Why do we add this to our overview of endtime events? There are many reasons. According to the words of Saint Paul, false brethren have "fallen from grace", yet appear to be walking with the Lord and teaching his Word. Since the righteousness of the false brethren is based on sinless living and devotional works--the qualifications for being in the group that leaves with the Church when she departs to be with Christ rests entirely on the uncertain question of whether you're "sinless" enough. Some refer to this toxic doctrine as "Partial-rapture theology". It's found in epidemic proportions in many endtime prophecy circles.

I was reading various Christian articles on the Internet when I found the comment below. It's only one example of the kind of beliefs that illustrate our concerns. I have paraphrased the statement for use in our study. This person's beliefs are typical of many found in some Bible prophecy circles.


A big surprise is awaiting many Christians. Many in the church are living a carnal life and believes that anything is acceptable because they know Jesus. Sin isn't preached anymore and neither is repentance. What happens to the carnal Christian? Are they saved? Yes, but they will not be a wise vigin who rules with Jesus. Only the wise Christian is caught up with Jesus at the rapture. . .The unwise, according to Matthew 25 are all virgins looking for the bridegroom, but needed to repent and clean their robes. They waited too late and did not go at the appointed time. These are unwise, carnal Christians. (Author's name withheld)


Do "carnal Christians" really exist? Yes. BUT--under the new covenant in Christ's blood, so-called "carnal Christians" are not any less righteous than everyone else in the body of Christ. Why? because New Testament righteousness, as Saint Paul emphatically teaches, is a free gift (note the word "free). It is a result of Christ's obedience--and not our "filthy rags" as the Bible calls them (Isaiah 64:6). Carnal Christians need to mature and stop being carnal. Yet, if they do this it doesn't mean they're more righteous. The person who made the comments above commits the error of dividing Christ's body into different "classes" or a type of "caste system" according to your level of personal righteousness or devotion. Those who unknowingly teach the tenants of the Mosaic covenant commonly divide the church in this manner. However, it's completely foriegn to the teaching of the Pauline Revelation, which unveils the new covenant of Jesus Christ. Paul taught that the Church is not divided and that all believers "are one" under the righteousness purchased by Christ's blood. This oneness is the central theme of "The Table of the Lord"--a most sacred and holy observance.

Another problem with the commonly used "wise-foolish virgin" parable in Matthew is that the virgins are not the bride (The Church--all believers in Christ), nor are they the groom. I won't go into their true identity in this study, but its Scripturally dishonest to equate the virgins in this parable to believers in Christ. I fail to see why so many so-called "church leaders" take this parable out of its context in order to cause fear and cast doubt on a believer's salvation.

Do you see yourself as one of "the wise virgins" and totally devoted to Christ? Or, are you mostly devoted to Christ, just a nominal believer, a "carnal believer" or a believer living in sin? Do you understand the "benchmark" you must live up to in order to qualify as "righteous" enough (with your lamp burning bright) to be allowed into the wedding feast? These are issues that those who fail to submit to "righteousness by faith in Christ" must struggle with (Rom. 9:31-33). Don't misunderstand: God will correct his children that attempt to practice sin--and claim Grace as their excuse. But, God will correct his children his way--not our way. He is the heavenly Father. However, there are many in the church who arrogantly believe they are the extension of the Father's discipline. Contrary to popular opinion, those that abuse the privilege of grace do not cancel its truths for everyone else. Remember that religious critics, including the Pharisees who opposed Christ, commonly use the tactic of pointing to abuses in order to discredit truth. It's been used in religion for thousands of years.

False brethren cannot accept the glorious liberty given to those living "in Christ".

"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you."(Gal 2:4-5)
There is a great heaviness in my heart for these counterfeit believers. I personally know some of them--they are honorable people and committed professing Christians. This topic is rarely taught because it undermines our false idea of unity in the church. Yet, the result of this neglect is the perversion of truth and a total distortion of how endtime events will unfold. I"m uncertain about the unintended consequences of "falling from grace". My heart tells me that the consequences are serious--especially since everyone ignores them. I'd like to think these people are saved, yet the terms "false brethren" and "fallen from grace" seems to indicate that Saint Paul has some doubts. For those reasons, it may be the "fallen ones", totally unaware of their condition, that get the "big surprise" when the Church departs with Christ. I have no desire to be one of them.

The Prophetic Time-line Of Saint Paul

Another commonly misinterpreted view of endtime events can be found in Paul's epistles to the Thessalonians. Yet, I don't believe it's a problem when you understand the meaning behind his words. Paul was comforting the Thessalonians who had previously received a fake epistle (a forged letter from Paul) that originated from those who taught against his ministry. A lot of this kind of thing is going on today. The letter told the Thessalonian believers that the Day of the Lord (the period of God's wrath that occurs during the Tribulation) had already started. Paul warns them. . .

"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." (2 Th 2:1-4)
Paul uses the words "except there come a falling away first" to describe the first event that precedes the revealing of the anti-christ (also called "the man of sin"). Many in Bible prophecy circles wrongly interpret this as a great apostasy, or a falling away from the faith by Christians. They argue that this must occur before the start of the Tribulation. . .and that this period is an intense time of persecution and judgement the Church endures before the Tribulation starts. In a sense, this is happening now as the spiritually delusional thinking that exists during the Tribulation period begins to invade institutional church organizations. Same-sex marriage, Homosexuals in the ministry, agreement with abortion, paganism. . .and other popular "social" sins are being accepted in the institutional church under the banner of tolerance. Yet, a study of Saint Paul's statement shows that this kind of "apostasy" (the Greek word is "apostasia") is not the sign he was talking about. Paul speaks of a "falling away" but he doesn't say that it's a "falling away from the faith". We assume that apostasy is what Paul was talking about because we see it going on all around us.

It's interesting that the first seven English Bible translations of "apostasia" all rendered the noun as either "departure" or "departing". These Bible versions are: Wycliff Bible (1384), Tyndale Bible (1526), Coverdale Bible (1526), Cranmer Bible (1539), Breeches Bible (1576), Beza Bible (1583) and the Geneva Bible (1608). This supports the notion that the word "apostasia" in Paul's "falling away" statement actually means "departure". I did some research and found several theologians that address this subject. One such person is Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest, known for his popular commentaries on New Testament Greek. Dr. Wuest is a trained Greek scholar. I found that Dr. Wuest affirms that the Greek word "apostasia" that Saint Paul uses means "departure", but only in the sense of "the departure of the Church from the earth". Wuest said, "I am driven to the inescapable conclusion that the "hee apostasia" (used in verse 3) refers to the "Rapture of the Church", which precedes the "Day of the Lord", and holds back the revelation of the man of sin who ushers in the world-aspect of that period." Dr. Wuest is referring to the "restrainer" that Paul mentions in verses 5 through 7. . .

"Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth (restrains) that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (restrains) will let, until he be taken out of the way." (2 Th 2:5-7)
Paul continues and essentially repeats what he said in verses 1 through 4--again in verses 5 through 10. But, he uses slightly different terminology. . .

"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: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Th 2:8-10)
Based on reliable sources, I'm convinced that Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians 1-10 give us the sequence of events that lead up to the revealing of anti-christ and the start of the Tribulation period. What's important here is that the Church departs the scene before it begins. The Church must depart because the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within her is that force that restrains the anti-christ. We need to understand that there are many teachers in the institutional church that hold a contrary view toward these Scriptures and won't rest until they succeed in placing the Church back under the same judgement from which Jesus set us free. Yet, the Biblical record stands against this effort.

Supernatural Confirmations Of Endtime Events

On November 11, 2000 I had a special visitation from the Lord. These kind of experiences have only occurred three or four times over a 34 year period. Yet, the one in November of 2000 was especially powerful. In the year 2004, I learned that other believers in different parts of the world had a similar experience in the same year. What's interesting is that the messages are related. In my encounter, the Lord told me that "the cup of His wrath was being filled and will be poured out--and that I didn't have 4 years until that occurred". I was in my car having a very special time of worship--when all of a sudden the Lord seemed to come into the car and sit in the passenger seat next to me. I couldn't physically see him, but I knew he was there. Since that time I wondered about the warning he gave. The deadline for this message was November 11, 2004. I felt it was so important that I wrote it down and hung it up over my computer where I could see it everyday.

Quite by accident, I learned that a pastor by the name of Peter Kumar in New Zealand had a similar encounter along with a vision on November 26, 2000 at 2:45 AM. This was just 15 days after mine. The Lord told Rev. Kumar that the removal of Yasser Arafat would be a sign that the time of his return was imminent. Apparently, Arafat was used to keep the peace agreement between Israel and her enemies from taking place until the proper time. Now that the time had arrived, Yasser was no longer needed. The Lord told Rev. Kumar that after Arafat was removed we should "look for the works of the anti-christ". In other words, Arafat's removal will be an important time marker for the departure of the Church. Here's the exciting part. . .on November 11, 2004 (the deadline for my warning) Arafat, after spending several weeks in medical intensive care, died. I believe these two messages were speaking about the same period of time.

If a Mid-East peace agreement is near--then the start of the Tribulation period (the pouring out of God's wrath) is also near. Bible Prophecy teaches that the Tribulation period will start with such a peace agreement. Saint Paul hints at this in 1 Thess. 5:1-3 when he says "For when they say, "Peace and safety! then sudden destruction comes upon them. Daniel 8:24-26 (speaking of the coming antichrist) says, ". . .and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." There are other references to this historic agreement. Normally, I don't place a lot of emphasis on supernatural experiences. Actually, experiences can be dangerous unless we exercise proper discernment. Yet, in this case I believe the Lord gave me access to another important time marker. I can't ignore what I heard. I had another related dream 23 years ago in 1982 on this very same topic where God showed me the nearness of the end--but I didn't recognize its importance at the time. The Lord has been giving me warnings about these events for some time now.

Jesus Said Natural Disasters Is A Sign Of The End

On December 25th, 2004 one of the most destructive earthquakes (a Richter 9.1) and tsunami in world history hit Indonesia, India and Sumatra. The loss of life is expected to reach over 400,000 before the counting is over. Some historians are now saying that the only natural disaster larger than this one is Noah's flood. It is reported that the island of Sumatra actually moved out of its place by several feet as a result of the earthquake and the earth's spin experienced a change in speed along with a slight "wobble".

This month (February 3, 2005) I'm hearing reports that some scientists are concerned. Earthquakes are occurring all over the planet and volcanoes that were thought to be dormant are beginning to erupt. I've just learned that an earthquake watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where some believe it's possible for a Richter 12.0 earthquake to hit in the near future. Tectonic plates are shifting all over the planet. Recently, a US nuclear submarine went aground when it hit a newly formed underwater mountain that wasn't on the charts. It was a "head-on collision". I have the picture that shows the damage to the sub--and it's amazing everyone got out alive. Mount St. Helen's is under a watch and expected to erupt again very soon. Renewed fears that the super volcano under Yellowstone National Park may erupt if other volcanoes in the mountain chain (like St. Helen's and Mt. Rainier) awaken. Currently, the Yellowstone volcano is steadily building pressure and sections of the park are closed due to high ground temperatures (some measuring near 200 degrees at the surface). Recently, Mt. Rainier went under a watch due to increased underground activity.

Scientists are concerned because a super volcano has the potential to wipe out nearly all life on our planet. The one at Yellowstone is sitting near the center of the United States. You will not hear this information on the mainstream news until they have more facts--and even then they may not report it to avoid damaging the tourist industry of the affected areas. If you want to know more about super volcanoes, there is information on the Internet. You should take advantage of these facts. In the Fall of 2004, four hurricanes hit the state of Florida causing evacuations, homelessness and massive destruction. Flooding, mudslides and out of control weather did massive damage to California and parts of the West Coast of North America during the winter of 2004-2005. Currently, the earth is under yet another X-class solar flare watch for February 10-14, 2005. These flares are doing serious damage to our ecosystem and exposing us to elevated levels of x-ray radiation. They are also damaging our satellite networks. Earth depends on these satellites for defense, business and all kinds of communications. Several satellites have gone inoperative. One scientist warns that the sun seems to be "oscillating", which is a very bad thing. Very delicate balances lie between the earth being humanly inhabitable--and burning up. The Book of Revelation warns that one of the judgements of the Tribulation is that the sun will burn the inhabitants of the earth.

There are other things going on in other countries that are too numerous to document here.

Why is all this important? If it's true that God's wrath (judgment) is starting then the Biblical events of the endtimes are about to begin in earnest. All the signs seem to be in alignment like never before in history. Yet, it's still difficult to set exact dates. Jesus said the start of the judgment (tribulation) period would catch the citizens of the world unawares like in the time of Noah's flood. The destruction so far is minor in comparison to what the book of Revelation tells us will happen. Some endtime prophecy students say that around two-thirds (about 4 billion) of the earth's population will perish. I think it's time to evaluate our relationship with God.

Closing Comments

Several things prevent us from being accurate "to the day" concerning the Church's departure. Date keeping errors over the last 2500 years is one problem. Another problem is deciding which Jewish calendar to use. There are two recognized calendars: The civil and the religious. Under the Jewish civil calendar the New Year starts in the fall (on Tishri 1) somewhere around September and October (the actual Gregorian date changes from year to year). Currently, the Jews use the civil calendar. Under the Jewish religious calendar the New Year begins around Passover (Exodus 12:1-11) in the Spring (on Nisan 1). The Bible is synchronized to the religious calendar. I also believe God's endtime schedule is synchronized to the religious calendar. That means if you don't account for these two calendars, your final result can include a six-month difference.

Doing math calculations using Bible chronology can only get us so close. I believe the ones in this overview gets us to within a couple of years or so. Other sources of information, like supernatural revelation and certain recorded Bibical signs and patterns can also sharpen our focus. There's solid Scriptural evidence that supports looking at the Spring/Summer of any given year for the Church's departure. The only thing we're missing is the year. So far, 2005 is promising--and 2007 looks even better. We'll soon know. Yet, our research can only be viewed as speculation that is linked to our Lord's command "to watch". If we're wrong, we'll discover the problems and keep watching.







Copyright © 2007 Rock of Offence
Most recent revision January 2007