Chapter
Eight
The
Parousia at the End of the Age
36
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of
heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will
the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the
day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came
and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other
left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is
coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what
hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house
to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is
coming at an hour you do not expect. Matt 24:36-44 (NKJV)
The impossibility of a pretribulation rapture is seen in the fact that
Jesus is coming only one more time on a certain day and in a certain hour.
He is not coming two or more times on certain days and in certain hours
and the idea of a split or half/partial coming is ludicrous. He is coming
at the end of this age and not seven years before the end. There are no
scriptures that depict Him as coming at any other time than the end. The
term "end" may be defined by pretribber's to mean a period of
time spanning several years, but Jesus uses the term to describe the
specific time when He brings this age to an end. This actual time frame of
the end is much shorter than seven years and in my opinion it lasts only a
matter of days. If it is a few days instead of years, then the
pretribulation rapture doctrine is wrong. It is not only wrong, but it
also may violate the Scriptures by falsely and with rebellion predicting
the coming of Christ. He declared that if anyone said He had come before
the time of the end, we are not to believe them. Therefore
if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look,
He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. Matt 24:26-27 (NKJV)
When He comes, it will be in flaming fire taking vengeance on the
wicked. It is His day, the Day of the Lord, the time when He is finally
sent by God to deal with Satan and his minions. This is the warning that
is given in Matthew 24:36-44, namely, that He is coming to punish the
wicked. He is not warning His Church about missing a secret rapture
pretribulation rapture here, but about the consequences of being caught in
the outpouring of His wrath. He is telling them to be alert and prepared
lest they are caught up in the last-days deception and are numbered with
the wicked. This makes us responsible for our spiritual condition at the
appearing of Christ.
The wicked are going to be dealt with as God pours out His wrath.
This can be seen clearly in the phrase "took them all away."
Took them all away does not necessarily apply to the Church because the
example used is Noah and the Ark. Consider the fact that everyone was
swept away by a massive flood as the water rose high enough to lift the
ark. This causes the statement, took them all away, to pertain more to the
wrath of God than a secret pretribulation rapture. It certainly was no
secret when Noah's ark was lifted by the flood waters from the earth. In
fact, there was a period of forty days while it rained on the earth.
Besides, the phraseology does not appear to fit the Church as much as it
fits those who "were eating and drinking." The timing of His
judgment on the wicked does fit very well with the time of the Seventh
Trumpet and the Seventh Bowl. As the Church departs, the wrath of God is
poured out on the wicked. Then the first mass resurrection and the first
judgment of the unrighteous people who rebelled against the authority of
God will come. This period of time is called the Day of the Lord. The
Day of the Lord
There are many more scriptures that depict the day of the Lord and the
description does not sound like the beginning of the Tribulation, but the
end. The time when God pours out His wrath is at the end of the
Tribulation, not the beginning. However, dispensationalists believe that
the day of the Lord begins with the Tribulation period. Consider the
following from Jack Van Impe's Dictionary of Prophecy Terms. The
Day of the Lord begins as the Tribulation period commences. It continues
through the 1,000-year reign of Christ because the destruction of the
world by fire afterward is still called the Day of the Lord (See 2 Peter
The reason that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night is
because the children of darkness are not prepared for it. They are crying
peace, safety, and are caught up in the cares of this world, and living
their life without a thought of God. The children of God are not surprised
by the coming of the Day of the Lord. This is just as clear in the
Scriptures. 3
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. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should
overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day.
We are not of the night nor of darkness. 1 Thess 5:3-5 NKJV
It should also be noted that these verses are given as an explanation of
the times and seasons and are immediately after the famous alleged
pretribulation rapture scriptures. By referring to this scripture in his
definition of the Day of the Lord, Mr. Van Impe concedes that the day of
the Lord is marked by sudden destruction. The beginning of the seven-year
period is not marked by sudden destruction, but the pouring out of God's
wrath sometime near the end is so marked. Therefore, Mr. Van Impe's timing
of the day of the Lord does not fit the pretribulation rapture doctrine at
all. It is most certain that the Day of the Lord does not continue through
the Millennium.
According to the Scriptures, the Day of the Lord is a time when God pours
out His wrath. Although I will post a number of scripture's here, space
will not permit me to post them all. Anyone can easily look them up with a
concordance and see clearly that the scriptural definition of the Day of
the Lord does not fit the beginning of the seven-year period. Wail,
for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the
Almighty. Isa 13:6 NKJV Behold,
the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay
the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. 10 For the
stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; The
sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its
light to shine. 11 "I will punish the world for its evil, and the
wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and
will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a mortal more
rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13
Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her
place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of His fierce
anger. Isa 13:9-13 NKJV For
this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that He may
avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; It shall be
satiated and made drunk with their blood; For the Lord GOD of hosts has a
sacrifice in the north country by the River Euphrates. Jer 46:10 NKJV Alas
for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as
destruction from the Almighty. Joel Blow
the trumpet in 11
The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; For
strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great
and very terrible; Who can endure it? Joel 31
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the
coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. Joel 14
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD
is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and
the stars will diminish their brightness. Joel 3:14-15 NKJV Woe
to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the
LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light. Amos 20
Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark,
with no brightness in it? Amos The
great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise
of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. 15
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of
devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of
clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpet and alarm against the
fortified cities and against the high towers. 17 "I will bring
distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have
sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, and
their flesh like refuse." 18 Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; But the
whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make
speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. Zeph 1:14-18 NKJV
Many other references to the day of the Lord clearly reveal that it is the
time of God's wrath on the nations. The beginning of the seven-year period
is the advent of the Antichrist who brings peace and it continues until he
persecutes the Church and the two prophets initiate the plagues in six of
the seven trumpets. It is Jesus Himself that executes the wrath of God on
the wicked and rebellious people of the Antichrist's kingdom. Immediately
before the outpouring of God's wrath, the first resurrection occurs. This
is the time of the rapture and it occurs near the end, not before the
beginning, of the seven-year period. Exegesis
of John 5:28-29
The pretribulation rapture needs a first resurrection and first judgment
(Bema seat of Christ) to occur before the seven-year period in order to
have scriptural support. But the pretribulation rapture doctrine cannot
survive the first resurrection occurring at the end of the tribulation.
Neither can it survive the first judgment coming after the tribulation.
However, pretribulation rapture proponents declare that the first judgment
will be a believers-only judgment that occurs in heaven during the
seven-year period. They claim
that the people who are judged in this judgment are the people who were
raptured before the seven-year period began.
Such a contention begs the question and needs exegesis in order to
survive as valid Bible doctrine, but there is no exegesis. However, a
proper exegesis of John 5:28-29 will reveal to us most of what we need to
know concerning the coming of Christ, the first resurrection and the first
judgment (John
5:28-29 NKJV) ""Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in
which all who are in the graves will hear His voice {29} "and come
forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those
who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."
In this passage, Jesus appears to confirm Daniel 12:2. Also, in
Matthew 13:40-43 and 49-50, He apparently quotes the same scripture in
Daniel plus the third verse. (Mat
13:40-50 NKJV) ""Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned
in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. {41} "The Son of
Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all
things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, {42} "and
will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and
gnashing of teeth. {43} "Then the righteous will shine forth as the
sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
{47}
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into
the sea and gathered some of every kind, {48} "which, when it was
full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into
vessels, but threw the bad away. {49} "So it will be at the end of
the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the
just, {50} "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be
wailing and gnashing of teeth."" (Dan
12:2-3 NKJV) "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting
contempt. {3} Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the
firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever
and ever." (Dan
12:1 NKJV) ""At that time Michael shall stand up, The great
prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a
time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that
time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is
found written in the book."
The mass resurrection could not occur at the beginning of the tribulation
period since that time is not as tumultuous as the end of the tribulation.
Thus, there can be no scriptural basis for determining a pretribulation
rapture. The end of the tribulation, not the beginning, will be the
greatest time of trouble ever (such as never was) and would include the
outpouring of God's wrath. In any case, it seems certain that the
resurrection prophesied in Daniel and the resurrection that Jesus
prophesied about are the same. It is also clear that they will occur at
the end of this age, at the coming of the Lord, the end of the
Tribulation, and it will be a resurrection of both the righteous and
wicked. Premillennial
Parousia
One has to decide when this age will end and the next age begins. Those
who determine that this age ends with the end of the Tribulation are
premillennialists. That is when they believe Jesus is coming and the
resurrection that Jesus and Daniel prophesied about occurs. People who
determine that this age ends at the end of the Millennium are
postmillennialists and believe Jesus is coming at the end of the
Millennium. I believe this age is finalized at the end of the seven-year
period with the coming of Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom. To clearly
see this we have to consider the following scriptures. First,
there are the scripture's that indicate there will be an age to come. (Mat
The "age to come" cannot refer to Heaven since no one could
possibly speak against the Holy Spirit in heaven. It has to refer to the
Millennium which is the one thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. In
order for another age to begin, this age that we are currently in has to
end. Since the Millennium is an age of peace, this age ends and the next
begins when Christ defeats Satan and sets His throne up on earth.
There are many scripture's that indicate that this age will end with the
coming of the Lord. Here are but a few of those scripture's. (Mat
13:39-40 NKJV) ""The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the
harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. {40}
"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it
will be at the end of this age." (Mat
13:49-50 NKJV) ""So it will be at the end of the age. The angels
will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, {50} "and
cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of
teeth."" (Mat
24:3 NKJV) "Now as He sat on the
If this age ends with the coming of Christ and the age to come is the
Millennium. This provides another key to understanding the two
resurrections that we discussed in the last chapter. We must recognize
that they occur in two different ages. At the end of each age there will
be a resurrection of both righteous and wicked and a judgment, each in its
own order. The overwhelming majority of eschatological Scripture's do not
teach us a great deal about the next age, but refer mainly to this age and
its conclusion. A common mistake is to include the next age in the
eschatological sequence of this age and then begin discovering scriptures
to support the error. The
Difference between the Two Resurrections
I want to reiterate here about the two resurrections to provide clarity
concerning the Parousia. The
Scriptures teach us about a resurrection at the end of this age. Although
the great mass resurrection is mentioned in several scriptures, the only
time two resurrections are mentioned is in Revelation 20:5. We must
therefore conclude that the resurrection mentioned in Daniel, and that
Jesus taught about, and that is written about in other scriptures, is the
first resurrection that occurs at the end of this age. The second
resurrection is not mentioned in the Scriptures before Revelation twenty
because most of the Scriptures concern this age only. The second
resurrection that occurs at the end of the Millennium age differs somewhat
to the resurrection that occurs at the end of this age. First of all, the
voice of Christ does not call the dead forth from their graves during the
Millennium resurrection. There are also other key ingredients that are
missing, such as; there are no martyred saints in the second resurrection.
Thus, the resurrection taught in the Scripture's is about the first
resurrection that occurs at the coming of Christ at the end of this age.
If this age ends with the end of the seven-year period, and before the
beginning of the Millennium, then it is during that period of time when
Jesus comes and the dead are resurrected. The same John who wrote
Revelation also wrote John 5:28-29 that recorded the teachings of Jesus
Christ concerning the first resurrection. He certainly did not write
anything in Revelation or his other writings that conflicted with the
teachings of Christ. In John 5:28-29, there are several points that help
us to understand that the first resurrection is a single event that occurs
at the end of the age.
First, the word hour (Greek, hra) is important. Hra means a period
of time or a season. He does not say "hours," but hra, meaning
one time period. I believe it would be a stretch to make hra apply to both
the ends of both the Tribulation and the Millennium. It would have to
apply to one or the other. Since this scripture is about His coming, we
must make hra apply to the Parousia. Richard's Expository Dictionary of
Bible Words puts it this way, "It is an indefinite point of future
time when a significant event will take place ( e.g., the hour of Jesus'
return [Mt 24:36,44])."(2)
To declare that only Tribulation martyrs will be in the first resurrection
is not compatible with the words of Christ and it is certain that John
makes no assertions that are different than that of Christ. He only wrote
what he was told to write in Revelation twenty, which were specific
details concerning the Tribulation martyrs.
Next, the word all (pas) is also important. Vines Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words declares about pas; "used without
the article it means 'every,' every kind or variety." In this
context, all means all, not one part or the other since Jesus goes on to
denote the righteous and the wicked will all come forth. Revelation (
This event occurs at the last trumpet, the time when the righteous truly
are resurrected. In fact, it would be difficult to judge the dead if they
were not resurrected. (1
Cor (
(1
Th
Here we read that the bodies of the righteous in their graves hear His
voice. Can we assume that there will be another resurrection of both
righteous and wicked in the exact same manner? Such a resurrection does
not occur at the end of the Millennium. (Rev
20:11-13 NKJV) "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on
it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was
found no place for them. {12} And I saw the dead, small and great,
standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened,
which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their
works, by the things which were written in the books. {13} The sea gave up
the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who
were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works."
There is also another scripture that declares the earth is reaped.
This could only mean that those in the graves are brought forth. "Then
I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son
of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.
{15} And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the
time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
{16} So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the
earth was reaped."(Rev 14:14-16 NKJV)
We notice that the voice of an archangel at this event is
definitely compatible with the resurrection in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. This
does not mean that 1 Thessalonians 5:1
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that
I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of
the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 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 Thess
5:1-4 NKJV)
Jesus frames John 5:28-29 with statements about His judgment. His
judgment is also mentioned in Revelation
Finally, there are two paths that those who are in the graves will
take. The righteous will come forth to the resurrection of life, as seen
clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, but the wicked to the resurrection of
death as seen in this judgment scene in heaven. ""When
the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then
He will sit on the throne of His glory. {32} "All the nations will be
gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. {33} "And He will set the
sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. {34} "Then the
King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world:" {41}"Then
He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed,
into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:" {46}
"And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the
righteous into eternal life." Mat 25:31-34, 41 & 46(NKJV)
(Mat
7:22-23 NKJV) ""Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and
done many wonders in Your name?' {23} "And then I will declare to
them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness!'"
Are
the Old Testament saints included in the first resurrection?
Pretribulation rapture conflicts with the Bible because it
postulates the idea that there is a first resurrection immediately before
the seven-year period and a second resurrection directly afterwards. The
fact that there can be no mass resurrection that occurs right before the
seven-year period is already established in Revelation twenty. It also
conflicts with the words of Christ who taught that the Old Testament
saints would be in the first resurrection. To get around these roadblocks,
pretribulation proponents split the first resurrection into two parts as
they do the Parousia. Dispensationalists believe that there will be a
resurrection of Old Testament saints and Tribulation martyrs that are
separate from the resurrection of the pretribulation believers. Here is
what the words of Christ declare about the matter. (Luke
13:25-28 NKJV) ""When once the Master of the house has risen up
and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door,
saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I
do not know you, where you are from,' {26} "then you will begin to
say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'
{27} "But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are
from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' {28} "There will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
and all the prophets in the
One should also consider how the Apostle Paul viewed the doctrine
of a split resurrection. Paul taught in his writings to the Church that
there would be a resurrection of the dead in Christ followed immediately
by a catching away of the living believers. Paul declared in 2
Thessalonians 2:1-4, that his hope, undoubtedly a blessed hope, most
certainly was not a pretribulation rapture. In fact, Paul did not take
hope in escaping the fellowship of Jesus' sufferings, but rejoiced in
them. Paul counted it a blessing to suffer for the Lord Jesus, as did the
rest of the New Testament writers. "I
now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is
lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is
the church," (Col. 1:24 NKJV)
He certainly would not have thought of an escape from persecution,
such as the pretribulation rapture is, as a blessed hope. Paul's blessed
hope was the glorious appearing of Jesus and his blessed joy was partaking
in His sufferings. "For
the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, {12}
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, {13} looking for the
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus
Christ, {14} who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for
good works." (Tit. 2:11-14 NKJV) (Note: There is nothing in this
scripture that describes a pretribulation rapture. This is the only time
the term "blessed hope" is used in the Bible.)
"I
have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." (Acts
24:15 NKJV)
"And
all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive
the promise, {40} God having provided something better for us, that they
should not be made perfect apart from us." (Heb. 11:39-40 NKJV)
The Church is Christ's Body and Bride that is composed of Jews and
Gentiles who have been made into one new person. Therefore all the saints,
both Old and New Testament, must be included in the first resurrection if
there is going to be a marriage supper. If we do not agree with this, then
we agree with dispensationalist’s improper distinction between the
Church and "And
in this mountain The LORD of hosts will make for all people A feast of
choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow,
Of well-refined wines on the lees." (Emphasis added) (Is. 25:6 NKJV)
This feast evidently occurs at the end of the Tribulation period.
There are no rewards or a marriage feast mentioned at the Millennium-end
resurrection and judgment and for a very good reason. Satan is bound;
God's people are in His Sabbath rest, and have ceased from all their
labor. "There
remains therefore a rest for the people of God. {10} For he who has
entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from
His." (Heb. 4:9-10 NKJV)
"Now
he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own
reward according to his own labor." {14} "If anyone's work which
he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward." (1 Cor. 3:8,
14 NKJV)
The rewards must be handed out at the first resurrection, because
only those in this age are considered the Bride of Christ. Therefore, the
saints for all time must be present at the judgment thrones. John does
indicate this somewhat by the way he phrases the following Scripture. "And
I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.
Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to
Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his
image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands.
And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."
(Emphasis added) (Rev. 20:4 NKJV)
It seems that he saw people sitting on the thrones and then saw the
martyred saints. There may be levels of leadership here. The first level
is Christ, the second level the twenty-four elders, the third level is the
martyrs, and the last level is the saints. I do not know if all the saints
will sit on a judgment throne, for that would imply millions of judgment
thrones, possibly more thrones than there are people to be judged. I
cannot implicitly declare this, because there is not enough information in
the Scriptures, yet, the Old Testament does seem to indicate leadership
levels in Heaven. Also,
Ephesians indicates levels of wicked leadership in Satan’s dark kingdom
and he does his best to imitate God.
The people who are not killed in the tribulation will populate the
Millennium. A number of people who are incapacitated in some way might
survive to inhabit the earth during the Millennium. There are people in
hospitals, mental institutions, orphanages, homeless people, and etcetera,
that will be healed at the coming of Christ when He takes authority over
every evil thing. Many of these people would not be willingly subjected to
the Antichrist and the mark of the beast. 5
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And
the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6
Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And
the tongue of the dumb sing. For
waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And
streams in the desert. Isa 35:5-6 NKJV
"I
will assemble the lame, I
will gather the outcast And
those whom I have afflicted; 7
I will make the lame a remnant, And
the outcast a strong nation; So
the LORD will reign over them in From
now on, even forever. Mic 4:6-7 NKJV
"Then
a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships
the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his
hand, {10} 'he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He
shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels and in the presence of the Lamb. {11} 'And the smoke of their
torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his
name.'" (Rev. 14:9-11 NKJV) Strong's
Greek Dictionary number; 1325. "Receive: didomi, did'-o-mee; a prol.
form of a prim. verb (which is used as an altern. in most of the tenses);
to give (used in a very wide application, prop. or by impl. lit. or fig.;
greatly modified by the connection):--adventure, bestow, bring forth,
commit, deliver (up), give, grant, hinder, make, minister, number, offer,
have power, put, receive, set, shew, smite (+ with the hand), strike (+
with the palm of the hand), suffer, take, utter, yield."
This implies a willing acceptance of the mark or at the least doing
nothing to resist it. A baby would not know what he or she was getting
into if a parent caused him or her to be marked. There are other children
that may have no choice in the matter, either. There will probably be
people who are not saved who might manage to avoid taking the mark. I know
a few people who are not saved, but are aware of the coming crisis and are
preparing to hide, are storing food, and are stating that they will have
no part of the coming one world government. I personally believe that
there will be many who do not fight in the last great battle against God
who have neither accepted the mark or had it forced on them. There will
also be many in "He
causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to
receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, {17} and that no
one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast,
or the number of his name." (Rev. 13:16-17 NKJV)
Obviously, the word causes here means compel or force. The Greek
gives us a clearer meaning. Strong's
Greek Dictionary: number, 4160: "Causes; poieo, poy-eh'-o; appar. a
prol. from of an obsol. prim.; to make or do (in a very wide application,
more or less direct):--abide, + agree, appoint, X avenge, + band together,
be, bear, + bewray, bring (forth), cast out, cause, commit, + content,
continue, deal, + without any delay, (would) do (-ing), execute, exercise,
fulfil, gain, give, have, hold, X journeying, keep, + lay wait, + lighten
the ship, make, X mean, + none of these things move me, observe, ordain,
perform, provide, + have purged, purpose, put, + raising up, X secure,
shew, X shoot out, spend, take, tarry, + transgress the law, work, yield.
Comp. G4238."
In my opinion, the Antichrist will force everyone he can to take the mark,
but obviously not all will take it. Many will refuse to worship Antichrist
and be slain as a result. We know that they did not take the mark and
neither do the believers take the mark. How many will avoid taking it we
do not know; yet we do know that some do avoid taking the mark and live
anyway, because of these Scriptures. "And
unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the
elect's sake those days will be shortened." (Matt. 24:22 NKJV) "And
unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for
the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days." (Mk.
Some flesh, or people, are alive at the end of the Tribulation Period,
because God purposes to keep them alive. There are people alive on the
earth and in total fear when they see Jesus coming, as is evidence by
several Scriptures. These individuals are unbelievers. For whatever
reason, God permits a multitude to live. Therefore, we must assume that
they did not receive the mark. Finally, there are these scriptures in
Zechariah. 16
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations
which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the
King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Zech
14:16-17 NKJV
Apparently, some of the people in the nation survived and they are
observing the holy days that are initiated during the Millennium. Conclusion
Since the Bible only mentions a Second Advent and not a third
advent, dispensationalists have fashioned their opinion of a two-phased
Second Coming (an oxymoron) and imposed it on the text. They declare that
the second time that Jesus appears, He will not touch the ground; so, the
occurrence does not qualify as an advent. This is a preposterous claim
that lacks even a shred of Scriptural foundation. One has to wonder where
in the Bible these people find such a notion or where they have acquired
the right to propagate it. He is coming once, and that is all. There is no
place in the Bible that allows anyone to use the criteria of, "Ah-ha!
He did not touch the ground, so it does not count!" To judge whether
His coming is an actual coming or not, all one has to do is decide if it
is Jesus that we see coming in the clouds.
John knew that His being revealed was all that was necessary to qualify as
the Second Advent. "Beloved,
now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall
be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we
shall see Him as He is. {3} And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies
himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:2-3 NKJV)
The fact remains that the first resurrection with the catching away
(rapture) occurs near the end of the seven-year period. What
dispensationalists have to do for the pretribulation rapture to be
believed is to find in the Bible a valid proof text that places the first
resurrection before the seven-year period. Since there is none, then an
honest evaluation of the dispensational position demands its complete
dismissal based on lack of Biblical foundation. Some men of God have been
bold enough to do this already. What are the rest waiting for? 1.
Jack Van Impe's Dictionary of Prophecy Terms 2.
Lawrence O. Richards, Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, Zondervan
Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, pg. 346
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