Apocalypse

Apocalypse

1. We now are living in the church age and moving toward the Rapture, toward the End Times.

2. Jesus has given us our talents and instructed us to occupy until he comes. We then will be judged on how wisely we used our talents. Because Jesus is returning soon, we better not waste our talents.

3. Jesus will Rapture all true believers out of this world. They will just just disappear, ascend to Heaven with Jesus.

4. With the loss of Christian influence in the world, Satan will have free rein to take power through a political leader, called the Antichrist, who then will rule over the world for seven years. This period is called the Tribulation.

5. Antichrist rule will lead to a series of wars, which will culminate with Jesus returning (second coming) with an army of saints to fight the battle of Armageddon, in the literal land of Palestine.

6. Jesus will defeat the Antichrist, vanquish evil, and establish a new kingdom that will last one-thousand years.

7. Then comes the Final Judgment.
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But, there is another view of the apocalypse.

It holds that the millennium is not literally one-thousand years but actually represents the time between the first and second comings of Christ. The number one-thousand symbolizes completeness and fullness. We now are living in the millennium, which some call the Church age. Jesus inaugurated the millennium with his first coming. And, with his sacrifice he "bound" Satan.

The tribulation occurs during the millennium -- during the period between the first and second coming of Christ. We now are witnessing the tribulation. While Satan remains bound, good and evil nevertheless are in conflict and the Church is under attack. There is no rapture before or during the tribulation -- no one receives a free pass on persecution.

Toward the end of history, but still during the millennium, Satan will be loosed (unbound) and permitted to spread havoc. Satan will take power through a political leader, called the Antichrist, who then will unite the nations under a Satanic false religion and rule over the world.

However, until Satan is loosed (unbound), God's Saints reign. When believers die they experience spiritual resurrection and their souls are in Heaven with Christ.

Toward the end of time, Satan is released (unbound) and there is the final battle, called Armageddon.The second of coming of Christ is when he returns with his Saints to defeat Satan in this final battle.

With the second coming of Christ and the defeat of Satan is the second resurrection for believers, which is physical. Unbelievers also are resurrected, but face final judgment. Believers are in Heaven with Christ for eternity.

Amen.