By Timothy Johnson

Preacher’s Point

There are many yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies in the Bible. You are about to read a summary of some of those prophecies and possible events leading up to their fulfillment. The prophecies mentioned here are the rapture, the Anti-Christ, the rebuilding of the Temple, the invasion of Psalm 38, the invasion of Ezekiel 38-39, the mark of the beast and one-world currency, the seven-year tribulation, the second coming, the millennium, and eternity.

There is a lot to cover, so let’s get to it.

The rapture is when all the true believers in Christ who have died since His resurrection are resurrected. Also, those Christians who are alive at the time are raptured out. Christ will appear in the air, the trumpet will sound, and the Christians are taken to live with Christ for eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). The rapture can happen at any moment, or it may be a century or more away. No one knows when the event will occur (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32). Nothing in the list above must happen before the rapture. However, there is no reason that Psalm 38 or a one-world currency needs to wait until after the rapture.

Psalm 38 describes the simultaneous invasion of Israel by Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. The result is that the lands of the invaders are reduced to rubble by fire. The governmental buildings of Jerusalem are also devoured by fire. Damascus, Syria, is reduced to a “ruinous heap.” (Psalm 83; Isaiah 17:1; Amos 1-2).

Imagine the uproar when Israel destroys the invader’s homelands and the chaos in place because Israel’s government is destroyed. It will take a miracle worker to settle the world down – step in – the Antichrist. The Antichrist will eventually rule the world, and the invasion of Psalm 83 likely brings his rocket-speed climb to fame (Daniel 11:21-24). He will orchestrate a treaty with many nations over Jerusalem, and the tribulation period will begin (Daniel 9:27). Note: the rapture happens before the signing of this treaty.

There will still be kings, presidents, and prime ministers during the Tribulation. However, by the midpoint of the seven years, the Antichrist will have total control.

There is a wide variety of beliefs about when the invasion of Ezekiel 38-39 takes place. I believe it occurs during the first half of the Tribulation, during the Antichrist’s rise to total control. The list of nations invading Israel is extensive, but the largest armies coming into the area are Russia, Ukraine, Iran, and Turkey. Because of the battle of Psalm 83, Israel is left under the protection of the Antichrist and has little or no military. The Ezekiel war is won supernaturally as God sends a massive earthquake, confusion on the battlefield as the enemy starts killing each other, soldiers come down with a sudden deadly illness, and meteors fall from the sky (Ezekiel 38:19-22). A side note on the Ezekiel invasion – Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan are not mentioned in the invasion party. If those nations are still around, it seems unreasonable to think they would not join the fray. Therefore, Psalm 83 must come first, and the defeat of those three nations must be the destruction that the Bible describes.

The Antichrist takes credit for the miraculous defeat of the Ezekiel invaders, leaving the world to decide if God or the Antichrist is God. People may doubt that the Antichrist can defeat his enemies by supernatural means. But, soon after this, the Antichrist will appear to be assassinated and experience a resurrection. Whether this resurrection is stage or real is debatable; regardless, the world believes it. This event is described in Revelation 13:3-9. That passage also tells us how people will worship him, how his ultimate power will last three-and-a-half years, and how he makes war against those who turn to Christianity after the rapture.

The midpoint of the Tribulation brings a couple of world-changing events.

Although there is no specific prophecy regarding rebuilding the Temple, we know it will be rebuilt because the Antichrist will walk into it and proclaim himself to be God (Daniel 12:11; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14).

Also at the Tribulation’s mid-point, the Antichrist establishes the mark of the beast. No one can buy or sell anything without this mark “in their right hand, or in their foreheads” (Revelation 13:16-18).

Money will be electronic. Whether it is a cryptocurrency, banks just keeping an electronic record (as they already do), or something else we don’t know of yet, we will have to wait and see. Still, a one-world currency kept track by a computer chip in our hand or forehead is coming.

The leading cause of this is probably the collapse of the American economy or, at least, the removal of the dollar as the world’s currency. The collapse of the American economy or the removal of the dollar as the world’s currency could happen before the rapture, but the mark does not come until the mid-point of the Tribulation.

God sends three sets of seven judgments each during the Tribulation: seals, trumpets, and vials. Without getting into details, the destruction from these judgments will be global and catastrophic.

The second coming of Christ happens at the Battle of Armageddon. One highly believed misnomer of Armageddon is that the good and bad guys of the world meet there to fight each other. The Bible is very clear on this – the world’s armies gather at Armageddon to fight against Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:19).

At Armageddon, Satan is bound for a thousand years, and Jesus Christ reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. During His millennium, the swords are beaten into plows, and the lion lays down with the lamb.

At the end of the one thousand years, Satan is released. Those who have rejected the Lordship of Christ during the millennium join Satan for one last attack against God. They are quickly defeated, and Satan is cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20; Isaiah 11).

With Satan finally dealt with, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and all the unsaved from all of history are resurrected and judged. Since, in their lifetime, they had rejected the blood of Christ for their salvation, all of them are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15; 2 Peter 3:9-12).

Once the final judgment is complete, eternity begins. Revelation 21:4-5, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

Preacher Johnson is the Pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County Indiana. Website: www.preachers-point.com; Email: [email protected]; Mail: 25 W 1200 N; Kingman IN 47952. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Timothy-Preacher-Johnson-101171088326638. All Scripture KJV.