METRO CORE SESSION #20THE END TIMES: ALREADY, BUT NOT YET

January 7, 2015Greg Cahalan

Welcome back to Core Sessions! Tonight is session #20 and we will be talking for the next three weeks about what theologians call “Eschatology” = Eschatos (“Last”) + Logia (“Study”). The Study of Last Things. In other words, Eschatology is a study of what is going to happen in the “End Times.” It is a study of where all of human history is headed. It answers the question: “Where does all of this end?”

And I know the first question everyone has is “Are we living in the End Times?” And from there, there are a whole bunch of interesting and confusing questions. What is going to happen next? When will the Rapture happen? Who is the Antichrist? What is the “Mark of the Beast?” Will Christians have to live through the Great Tribulation? What is the Millennial Kingdom? Is Israel still the chosen people of God? One of the more recent questions I have heard is: Does the appearance of four “blood moons” mean Jesus is coming back in 2015? And then my personal favorite is: Will the Lions win the Super Bowl before Hell freezes over?

But seriously though, everyone wants to know what is coming and what to expect. This is true for us, and it was true for Jesus’ earliest disciples. It is normal and natural to be curious about the End of the World, and the Bible has a ton to say about it. Some of it is clear, and some of it is very confusing. One thing that is crystal clear is where it all ends.

Revelation 21:1-8 teaches four clear things about The End of the story:

1. There is going to be a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and first earth are going to pass away.

2. God is going to live with His people and be their God.3. There will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain for God’s children. He will wipe

every tear from their eyes.4. The unbelieving will be consigned to the lake of fire.

This is where the Bible says human history is moving. The study of “Last Things” is the study of HOW it is going to get there. Eschatology examines the events that must occur for human history to reach its appointed destination. And we are going to dive deep into it over the next three weeks.

I have to warn you, you are going to be hearing a TON of information over the next three weeks. The End Times is notoriously strange and complicated. So I think the best way to begin is to outline a road map of where we are headed before we start on the journey. Without a road map, we will all probably get lost. So, I am going to briefly answer some of the big questions up front. I am going to reveal where Jeremy and I stand on some of the controversial

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issues, and then over the next three weeks we will unpack our answers and explain them in great detail while interacting with those who disagree with us. Sound good?

Are we living in the End Times? YES, we are ALREADY living in the End Times, but NOT YET. Make sense? Probably not, right? We are going to spend some time on this question tonight. I think it is one of the most important concepts you can ever grasp about the story of the Bible and where history is headed. The short answer is that when Jesus started his ministry on earth, the Last Days began. The “Age to Come” invaded this present evil age. And when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, the decisive victory of God over the devil was won. This means that ALREADY, right now, the devil is a DEFEATED enemy. But…he is NOT YET banished from the earth. Even though the “Age to Come” has ALREADY begun, this present evil age has NOT YET ended. This idea of “Already, but not yet” is the framework of everything that will happen in the Last Days. Which leads to the next question.

Has the Great Tribulation begun? YES, the Great Tribulation has ALREADY begun, but maybe NOT YET. The Book of Revelation teaches that when Jesus ascended into heaven, the devil got more ticked off than ever and started waging an intensified war against Jesus’ followers. In Revelation, the weapons Satan uses to wage war against God’s people are called “the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Great Prostitute.” The Beast represents persecution. The False Prophet represents false religion and deception. The Great Prostitute represents the allurements of greed and lust. These are the devil’s weapons. They have always been his weapons. He is ALREADY using them against us, is he not? He is ALREADY persecuting God’s people. Think about Christians in China and the Middle East right now. He is ALREADY trying to deceive us with false religion. He is ALREADY trying to allure us with greed and lust. This means that we are ALREADY experiencing great tribulation at the devil’s hands. But it is NOT YET at its peak. It will intensify over time. As we approach the end of the age, our great tribulations will lead into the ultimate GREAT TRIBULATION, and the ultimate Beast, False Prophet and Great Prostitute will arise. It will not be easy to determine precisely when it begins, because the final Great Tribulation will be no different than any other time of church history in terms of its character. The only difference will be in terms of its scope and intensity. And it is ALREADY moving in that direction. It is possible the Great Tribulation has already begun.

Who is the Antichrist, and is he already alive? YES, the Antichrist is ALEADY alive, but maybe NOT YET. The ultimate Antichrist is the ultimate Beast of Revelation 13. He will be a political figure who will rule over the entire world, and he will bring forth the ultimate persecution of God’s people, putting thousands of them to death. But before the ultimate Antichrist comes, there will be MANY previous antichrists leading up to him. The apostle John said: 1 John 2:18: “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.” Already, the Church is being persecuted around the world at the hands of political rulers, and always has been. It is even happening here in our own country as our religious freedoms are slowly being taken away. So yes, the spirit of antichrist is already very active in the world, and this spirit is intensifying as we move toward the End. It is possible that the ultimate Antichrist is already alive.

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When will the Rapture happen? AFTER the Great Tribulation as Jesus is returning to earth. This is the opposite of the perspective of the Left Behind books and movie. They taught that Jesus will remove His people from the earth BEFORE the tribulation. Jeremy and I completely disagree with that. We believe in a post-tribulation rapture. We will dig deep into this issue next week.

Is Israel still the chosen people of God? YES, and NO. The Bible is clear that God’s New Covenant with Israel is the ONLY covenant that leads to eternal life. The only way to be accepted by God is to become part of Israel and their New Covenant. However, it is not ethnic Jews who are considered the TRUE ISRAEL. It is everyone who puts their faith in Jesus the Messiah. This means that TRUE ISRAEL is the Church of Jesus Christ. Every promise to Israel in the Old Testament belongs to the followers of Jesus – whether Jew or Gentile. There is ONE people of God, not two. This is crucial in understanding how the Church and ethnic Jews fit into the Book of Revelation and End Times prophecies.

When is the Millennial Kingdom? AFTER the Great Tribulation and AFTER the Second Coming of Christ. This means that we are Pre-Millennial, instead of Post-Millennial or A-Millennial. When Jesus returns to earth, we believe He will set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth and reign on earth with His people for 1,000 years before the final battle and destruction of the devil.

So, in light of those answers, here is the roadmap that we see.

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Some of this roadmap is agreeable to most Bible-believing Christians, but a lot of it is disagreeable to many. So we are going to have some fun together! Just promise that you won’t get mad at us if you disagree with our view, ok? You ready to dig in?

The first thing to say about Eschatology is that: We are currently living in the “Last Days.” According to the Bible, the “Last Days” began with the earthly ministry of Jesus and the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 1:1-2: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things…”

Acts 2:17: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.’”

This means that right now we are living in the “Last Days.” Now before that freaks you out too much, this also means that every generation since the time of Jesus has been living in the “Last Days.” Apparently there are a lot of “Last Days.” Up to this point, there have been over 700,000 of them as we have been living in the last days for more than 2,000 years. So what does it even mean to say that we are living in the “Last Days?”

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The “Last Days” are a time of transition between this “present evil age” and the “age to come.” This is such an important concept to understand if we are ever going to understand Biblical prophecy about the End Times.

Biblical history is separated into two ages: 1. This “Present Evil Age”2. The “Age to Come.

The idea of the “End Times” is that the present evil age in which we live is going to come to an end and a new age is going to dawn. God is going to make everything new. The reason Jesus came to earth the first time and will come again a second time is to rescue us from this present evil age. Galatians 1:3: “…the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age…”

This present evil age began with a conflict in heaven when an angel named Lucifer led a rebellion of angels and they were in some sense cast down to the earth. You can read about it in Isaiah 14:12-15. When Lucifer and his angels were cast down to the earth, they made it their personal mission to destroy God’s mission on the earth, which is to fill the earth with the praise of His glory. From then until now, Lucifer and his angels have become known as the devil (which means the “enemy”) and his demons. They are the enemies of God’s people and God’s plan. It is their goal to get as many people as he can to join their rebellion against God.

Satan’s first interaction with mankind is described in Genesis 3 when he takes the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden. He deceives Adam and Eve and convinces them to sin against God. The entrance of human sin into the world is known as The Fall, and it resulted in the entire earth being put under a curse. This curse is the cause of all suffering, pain and death in the world. The entire time span of the curse is what the Bible means when it refers to “this present evil age.” It is the age of sin, suffering, pain and death. It is the age of conflict between Satan and God, with human hearts being the primary battle ground.

During this present evil age, Satan has been given power to rule on earth and to blind people to the glory of God. His power is so great, that the Apostle Paul even referred to him as “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4). He is the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2), and because of him, this age is called “the domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:1).

But even though God subjected the world to the curse, from the very beginning He had a plan to destroy the devil and his demons and rescue people from this present evil age. The very first prophecy in the Bible was addressed by God to Satan himself. Genesis 3:14-15: “The Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this… I will put enmity between you and the

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woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.’”

God foretells the conflict between Satan and humanity that will last throughout this present age. But, at some future point known only by God, the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent’s head and defeat him once and for all! God’s offers Good News and hope for mankind in the face of The Fall and the curse, and this Good News will be accomplished by a promised offspring of the woman.

God’s people waited for thousands of years for the promised offspring to come. Many prophets came and went and issued additional prophecies of a child who would be born to deliver the people – a Messiah, a Savior, and a KING! The prophets spoke of a new age that will dawn, an age that came to be known as The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven – an age when all of God’s enemies will be destroyed and the curse will be lifted. It will be an age of eternal life, an age that will never end, where God will dwell face to face with His people and His righteousness will cover the earth like the waters cover the sea. It will be an age with no more sin, suffering, pain or death. It will be an age marked by fullness of joy and everlasting pleasure in the presence of God.

All of this sounded great, but for thousands of years these were just promises, and the conflict between good and evil raged on. Then one day, it happened. The arrival of the promised offspring was publically announced for all to hear. In Matthew 3, John the Baptist announces that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and that the Messiah will soon baptize people either with the Gift of the Holy Spirit or with the fire of His God’s wrath.

Then one day a carpenter named Jesus of Nazareth came to see him, and John announced to all: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The promised Messiah had arrived, and what happened next as John baptized Jesus was the turning point of all history. Matthew 3:16-17: “When Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him…’”

That moment – that miraculous moment – when Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit by His Father, marked the dawning of the Age to Come. In the person of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God invaded this present evil age and began its work to destroy the powers of evil and bring God’s people into the blessings of His reign.

The very first thing Jesus did after being anointed by the Holy Spirit was go into the desert to do battle with the devil. The devil subjected Jesus to the very same temptations he gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but Jesus resisted the devil and defeated him that day! It was the first of many battles that Jesus would win against the devil during his lifetime. His power over demons was a defining characteristic of Jesus’ ministry on earth. This was conclusive evidence that the Kingdom of God had come to earth. Luke 11:20: “If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.”

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When Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and began his ministry on earth, the age to come broke into this present age. Here is how one of my favorite theologians, George Ladd, put it:

“The Kingdom of God is the redemptive reign of God dynamically active to establish his rule among men, and this Kingdom, which will appear as an apocalyptic act at the end of the age, has already come into human history in the person and mission of Jesus to overcome evil, to deliver men from its power, and to bring them into the blessings of God's reign. The Kingdom of God involves two great moments: fulfillment within history, and consummation at the end of history.” – George Ladd, the Presence of the Future.

Notice what Ladd says: “The Kingdom of God involves two great moments: fulfillment within history, and consummation at the end of history.” We live today between these two moments. The “Last Days” that Jesus’ began are a time of transition between this present evil age and the age to come – between the fulfilment of God’s Kingdom within history, and the consummation of the Kingdom at the end of history. This means that right now, The Kingdom of God is ALREADY present on earth, but NOT YET in its fullness.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the earthly life of Jesus was the “Already” of the Kingdom of God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life all true believers is the “Already” of the Kingdom of God today. Through the Holy Spirit, the blessings of the Kingdom of God are ALREADY available to us in varying degrees today, but NOT YET in their fullness. Here is a chart to illustrate the “Already, but Not Yet” of the Kingdom of God.

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Today, we live in overlapping ages. The curses of this present evil age are still here, but the blessings of the age to come have also begun and can be tasted in ever-increasing degrees.

The fulfillment of the Kingdom of God within history means that Jesus has already won the decisive victory over Satan and his demons. He has purchased for us the blessings of His Kingdom! The decisive moment came when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When Jesus died on the cross: Colossians 2:15: “He disarmed the rulers and authorities [the devil and his demons] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them…”

This is why Jesus came! He came to disarm the devil and crush him through his death on the cross!

Hebrews 2:14-15: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

1 John 3:8: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

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The war has been won! The devil has been defeated! The Age of God’s Kingdom is sure to come in all of its fullness. It’s just a matter of time! In the meantime, we have been given the Gift of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that anointed and empowered Jesus, as the down payment and sure proof of our inheritance! (Ephesians 1:13-14).

And so here we live, between the times. It is a very interesting and exciting time to live, but still a very dangerous place to live. Even though the war has been won, the battle still rages. God has NOT YET completely removed Satan and evil from the scene. If you wonder why God allows Satan to continue, we will get to that soon enough. But for now, it is crucial to understand that even though Satan is a defeated foe, he is still on the loose in this world and he is NOT happy.

We are going to take a 10 minute break, and after the break, we are going to turn our attention to the Book of Revelation to get a picture of what the devil is doing now and will do in the future. We are going to see that Satan is aware these are his own personal “Last Days” and the end of his age is approaching, and he is not going down quietly.

Alright, let’s get back at it. I want to take the next couple minutes to introduce you to the Book of Revelation. If you have never read much of it, get ready for some bizarre imagery. In its most bizarre and symbolic sections, the Book of Revelation is part of a genre of literature known as “Jewish Apocalyptic Literature.” There were dozens of Jewish apocalypses of various kinds that were written from about 200 BC to 200 AD, and they all contain some common characteristics.

Jewish Apocalyptic Literature:1. Was mostly developed during a time of great persecution and oppression from about

200 B.C. to 200 A.D.2. Is rooted in the writings of the Old Testament prophets.3. Is mainly concerned with the final judgment and salvation that is coming at the end of

history.4. Is mainly in the form of visions and dreams, with highly cryptic, imaginative and

symbolic language.5. Contains a very formal structure. The visions are carefully arranged, often in

numbered sets.6. Seldom intends to give a detailed chronological account of the future. It often “skips

around” when it comes to chronology.7. The “big picture” of the visions are more important than the details. Each vision is

trying to same something specific. The details are only for dramatic effect or clarity of reference.

8. Contains a highly symbolic use of numbers.

You will never be able to effectively read the Book of Revelation if you don’t understand these characteristics of apocalyptic literature. So are you ready to dig into the most bizarre book in the Bible? The reason we are starting with Revelation 12 is because I believe it lays out the theological framework for the entire book. Remember, the Book of Revelation is apocalyptic,

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which means it does not follow a neat chronology. It jumps around and back and forth to different points of history. Revelation 12 goes to the crux of the entire Biblical story and covers a lot of ground in a short space. So here we go!

Revelation 12:1-2: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.”

This is our first indicator that we will never get anywhere in this book without a firm grasp of the Old Testament. Old Testament imagery is EVERYWHERE. The description of the woman here is a clear reference to Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37. If you remember Joseph’s dream with the “Technicolor Dreamcoat,” he dreamed that the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him, and the sun, moon and stars were interpreted to be Israel, his wife, and his 12 children. In the present scene of Revelation 12, the woman obviously represents Israel who is about to give birth to a child. Like most of Revelation, the imagery in the vision itself is very symbolic. The identity of the child will be made clear in the following verses.

Revelation 12:3-4: “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.”

This enormous red dragon is described using imagery from Daniel 7 and 8. His seven heads and ten horns are symbolic of great might and power. We will see in verse 9 this is none other than the serpent from the Garden of Eden. He is called “that ancient serpent, the devil and Satan.” I believe the image of his tail sweeping a third of the stars out of the sky is symbolic of the idea that 1/3 of the angels joined Satan in his initial rebellion against God. The image of the dragon standing before the woman to devour her child points back to Genesis 3 and the first prophecy – that there would be conflict between the serpent and the promised offspring who would destroy him.

Revelation 12:5: “She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.”

This is the entire story of Jesus’ life on earth in one verse. The Messiah, identified with the Messianic language of Psalm 2:9 as the one who “will rule the nations,” is born and ultimately ascends into heaven after finishing his work on earth.

Revelation 12:6: “The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.”

There is a lot of debate on how to interpret the 1,260 days. Is it literal? Is it symbolic? I think it is probably symbolic like most everything else in this book. One thing is for sure is that it refers back to chapter 11 of Revelation and what appears to be the time for Jesus’ witnesses to bear

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testimony to the Jewish people before the final outpouring of God’s wrath. Many see this as the last half of the 70th week prophesied in Daniel 9, and the last half of the Great Tribulation spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24. We will talk in more detail about the Great Tribulation next week.

The wilderness imagery here points to God’s preservation and protection of the Jewish people after they are driven from their homeland by the dragon. It is truly remarkable how God has preserved the Jewish people over the centuries, no matter how far they have been scattered around the world. The preservation of the Jewish people is one of the greatest indicators of the Bible’s truth. I believe that Revelation 11 and Romans 11 teach that a massive remnant of the Jewish people (referred to as “all Israel”) will eventually put their faith in Jesus as their Messiah and be saved before the end of the Age.

Revelation 12:7-9: “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

Once again, this is not a strictly chronological account. This section seems to transcend time all together. It looks back to the cosmic fall of Satan from heaven spoken of in the Old Testament and by Jesus in Luke 10:18 when he said “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

It is awesome to think about the involvement of God’s holy angels fighting against Satan on our behalf. In the present context, however, the ultimate reason for Satan’s defeat is clearly the death, resurrection and ascension of the Messiah. The serpent bruised his heal, while the promised offspring of the woman crushed his head. In this vision, the prehistoric and historic moments of Satan’s demise merge together.

Revelation 12:10-12: “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.’”

The “Already, but Not Yet” of the Kingdom of God is seen more clearly in this passage than perhaps anywhere else in the entire Bible. In the person and mission of Jesus, the Kingdom of God has come. The “Age to Come” has ALREADY invaded this present evil age and the decisive victory over the devil and his demons has already been won! However, the Kingdom is NOT YET here in its fullness. The devil and his demons are still very much active in this world, and they are NOT HAPPY! The serpent is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

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This paragraph adds something crucial to understand about our own PERSONAL triumph over the devil. It says that individual people triumph over Satan “by the blood of the Lamb,” but also “by the word of their testimony,” and then adds “they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” The victory of Jesus over the devil only becomes your own PERSONAL victory over the devil when you put personal faith in Jesus’ shed blood for YOU and make His Gospel your own personal testimony that you are willing to die for. It will not be surprising at all if you are faced with martyrdom as a Christian in these last days. Jesus says “only those who endure to the End will be saved.” What comes next is a sobering picture of what it looks like for God’s people to live “between the times” in the days of Satan’s fury.

Revelation 12:13-17: “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.”

Once again we see the serpent's efforts to destroy Israel, but God is committed to preserving and protecting her. Again, don’t assume this is chronological. There are clear allusions to the Exodus story where God delivered his people from Pharaoh and the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea and swallowing up their army. The imagery of the eagle’s wings echoes God’s words to Israel in Exodus 19:4: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.” God simply will not allow Israel to be destroyed, no matter what kind of fury the serpent throws at them – not in the days of Moses, and not in these Last Days before the end. Both time periods, and all periods in between, are likely in view here, as all of history in this present age is viewed as a unified whole.

Satan’s inability to destroy Israel over the centuries and in these last days has only made him more furious, and he begins to wage war against those whom John refers to as “the rest of her offspring” and then identifies them as “those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” This is where I believe that you and I come into clear focus. I believe “the rest of her offspring” symbolically refers to all true believers in Jesus (known as the Church) whether Jew or Gentile, as opposed to the woman herself who represents ethnic Jews. I say this because of the description of them as “those who hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” I will have much more to say about this over the next couple of weeks, because there are many who think that the Church will not be on earth for what follows in chapters 13-19 (because of the Rapture) and that these chapters only deal with ethnic Jews. I totally disagree with them.

I believe that chapters 13-19 describe the war that Satan will wage against all of God’s faithful people, Jew and Gentile alike, throughout the “Last Days” and especially during the time of

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Great Tribulation immediately before the End. I believe the Church will be here on earth during these days and will experience the full brunt of Satan’s fury.

The weapons Satan uses to wage war against God’s people during these “Last Days” are famous and fearful.

Satan’s weapons in the “Last Days”The Beast (13:1-8) = Persecution of God’s PeopleThe False Prophet (13:11-18) = Deceptive ReligionThe Great Prostitute (17:1-15) = Greed & Lust

It is crucial to remember the framework of “Already, but Not Yet” when looking at these weapons of Satan. Each of these has “Already” been active during the entire period of the “Last Days,” increasingly so today, but will also reach an ultimate pinnacle during the time of Great Tribulation.

Persecution, false religion, greed and lust are the weapons the devil uses to wage war against God’s people. He uses them to try to destroy us. He wants to destroy our faith, and he wants to take our very lives. This has always been true, and it is increasingly true during these Last Days in which we live. And make no mistake, Satan’s fury against God’s people is swelling to a boiling point. The Great Tribulation is coming. We need to be ready – ready to give up our very lives if necessary. The glorious truth is that we do not need to fear those who can kill the body and after that have no more they can do. With faith in Jesus, to DIE IS GAIN! But we must endure in faith to the End.

Next week we will talk in more detail about the Great Tribulation, the Rapture, and the future of national Israel. See you next week!

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