Hello Friends!
In this special closing edition we will consider the Tribulation
period as an integral and very important final aspect of our series The Seven
Dispensations: Man's Failure & God's Grace.
The Holy Scriptures divide time – the entire period from the
creation of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis to the "new heaven and
a new earth" promised to all believers in the book of Revelation –
into seven unequal periods, usually titled dispensations (see Ephesians
3:2). These periods are also referred to as “ages” (see Ephesians
2:7). They are also referred to as “days” as in "day of
the Lord".
This week we will investigate the horrible seven-years of “hell on
earth” known in the Scriptures as the as THE GREAT TRIBULATION…
The Great Tribulation
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
Some Bible teachers and scholars number the Great Tribulation
period of God's judgment and wrath upon the unbelieving world as one of the
Dispensations, while combining the Dispensations of Promise & Law. However,
I see the Tribulation as a period of culmination, during which human
civilization crumbles under the weight of the combined features of its ages
long rejection of God - Sin and rebellion of the heart. The Lord will
graciously limit this period to a short 7 years to prevent wicked man's
self-destruction.
Summary Principle:
I have
come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his
own name, him you will receive – John 5:43
Opening Event
– The man of sin is revealed ~ Antichrist:
But
concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should
write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then
sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And
they shall not escape – 1
Thessalonians 5:1-3
Now,
brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering
together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either
by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ
had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come
unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of
perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that
is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that
he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these
things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his
own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now
restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one
will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and
destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is
according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason
God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they
all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness – 2
Thessalonians 2:1-12
For
then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning
of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And
unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s
sake those days will be shortened – Matthew
24:21-22
Man’s Responsibility, Man's Failure & Man's Tendency
In the Great Tribulation, man's failure comes to awful fruition:
INNOCENCE- Men live the lie of Satan calling evil good & good evil (fall
of man Genesis 3:5).
CONSCIENCE- Corrupt unbelieving minds ignore God's Word (see Matthew 24:37-39).
GOVERNMENT- The world unites with the Antichrist to fight against God.
PROMISE- Israel is in the promised land, but remains in unbelief.
LAW- The rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem given over to Antichrist for false worship as God.
GRACE - The apostate false church is ecumenically aligned with the Antichrist.
CONSCIENCE- Corrupt unbelieving minds ignore God's Word (see Matthew 24:37-39).
GOVERNMENT- The world unites with the Antichrist to fight against God.
PROMISE- Israel is in the promised land, but remains in unbelief.
LAW- The rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem given over to Antichrist for false worship as God.
GRACE - The apostate false church is ecumenically aligned with the Antichrist.
Closing Event
– Judgment:
~ Jesus Christ
casts out Satan & his false leaders
Now I
saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were
like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written
that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood,
and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in
fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth
goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself
will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a
name written:
KING OF
KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS.
Then I
saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all
the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the
supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of
captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on
them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I
saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to
make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then
the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his
presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and
those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire
burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded
from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with
their flesh – Revelation
19:11-21
Then I
saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and
a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who
is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him
into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he
should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But
after these things he must be released for a little while – Revelation
20:1-3
Personal Salvation:
~ Even in this terrible time, many find salvation by Grace
through Faith in the blood of the Lamb
And I
said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come
out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb – Revelation
7:14
Then I
heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the
kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of
our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast
down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death – Revelation 12:10-11
Thank you for reading! It is our hope that you now have
a better understanding of what the Scriptures refer to as The Great
Tribulation.
AN URGENT PLEA FOR THE UNBELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST:
To our unbelieving friends, I urge you to repent now, before it is
too late...
For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness
of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live
by faith” – Romans 1:16-17
Time is running out. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now
before your heart is so hardened, you are unwilling – or unable –
to hear His voice. Please take heed to this warning! Jesus Christ is the ONLY
way to the Father! These are His Words:
I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me – John
14:6
Without Jesus Christ's substitutionary death on the Cross of
Calvary for your iniquities, you will die in your sins and face the Wrath of
God at The Great White Throne Judgment. You will then receive your just
sentence – a literal, physical and eternal place of torment – a place known in
the Bible as Hell. Heaven will NOT be your final
destination apart from Jesus Christ! Please heed this warning – time is running out!
If you have any questions about how to become a true follower of
Jesus Christ, please contact us here at Daily Devotions, another born again Christian friend
or Pastor. Please do not delay... Today is the day of Salvation!
May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect
love, mercy and grace!
Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah
and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
Blessings!
Shane <><