Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: End Times Preview
Chapter 2: Sheep and Nations
Chapter 3: Loose Threads of Doctrine
Chapter 4: Return of the King
Chapter 5: The Millennial Life
Chapter 6: The New Creation
Chapter 4: Return of the King
I’ve already shared with you the historic premillennial timeline of these events that are soon to break on the horizon. And as surely as the Sun rises in the East, these things will take place exactly as told in the Holy Scriptures.
But now, in this chapter, I’m going to back up a step and show you a more cinematic vignette or two of how I see these things playing out before our eyes. I’ll try to not be so dry as I describe the doctrinal issues that are in play and/or on their way. I feel that this might help you to see these things as clearly as I do (due to the grace of our glorious God, with His gift of wisdom that He freely gives).
Since I skipped through the timeline so quickly in chapter one, it might be helpful to dive into just a few of the details that were not really brought out as clearly as I know I can. This is where we allow the Bible to come to life in our hearts and minds.
Who is God?
Before jumping into the wrath of God, it might be helpful for some of you to see the Triune God the way that I do and how He relates to His creation. If nothing else, it will allow you to understand my mind a bit better, which can be helpful when trying to follow my train of thought in this study.
Several years ago, I received an epiphany of how life exists in three “realms”. (I avoid using terms of dimensions in speaking of heaven and earth.) It really helped me to wrap my head around the creation and the One Who created it. And so maybe it will be helpful to you as well, whatever your relationship is with the Holy One.
As touched on already in earlier chapters, I see the creation as being made up of two realms: the physical and spiritual realms. These realms are like habitats designed by the Creator for His creatures to exist in.
The Physical Realm is perhaps the lower of the two and is where you and I are right now. We call it the cosmos, or universe. It is made up of time, space, and matter. And like our God, Who is made up of three “Persons”, these three aspects of the creation are each necessary in its essence. For without any one of these three aspects, we would not have the cosmos that we do.
Time is not matter. Matter is not space. And space is not time. This is like the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. And just as the universe would not be the same without all three essentials in place together, so, too, our Elohim (mighty God, in a plural voice) would not be Himself without all three of His Persons together.
Time is a trinity: past, present, and future. Space is a trinity: up/down, side to side, and front to back (three dimensions). And matter is a trinity: solid, liquid, or gas. Water would not be what it is if it did not exist in those three states and is a perfect illustration of the three states of matter. That is our physical realm.
The Spirit Realm (or spiritual realm) is where angels are from. It’s also where the human soul goes upon physical death. And just as we humans are the ultimate expression of creation in the physical realm, so the angelic race is the ultimate expression of the spirit realm.
And just as our physical realm has four dimensions (time is the fourth) with many locales, so too the spirit realm has different areas, or places within it.
One of those places in the spirit realm we call the third heaven, where Christ’s throne is. Another place is the opposite of that place of perfection and is called “hell”. It is a place where the Father, Son, and Spirit withhold their presence for the purpose of punishing those who have ignored Him or even fought against Him and His people. Perhaps the surest way to experience this hell is to treat those who love God with contempt or violence.
And just like our own physical realm, with its unexplored corners, I’m sure there are other places in the spiritual realm that we have no idea exist. Be that as it may, we can at least agree that the Bible shows us these two parts of the realm beyond our borders.
The third realm that I know of I call the Divine Realm. This is none other than God, Himself (the Father). You see, He is infinite and eternal, but our two realms are not. We need a habitat but God is His habitat.
Our two realms of existence in the creation are shown to have a beginning and/or an end. The beginning of the physical realm is clearly laid out for us in Genesis and its end is foretold in Revelation. And while the spirit realm’s beginning is not spoken of, we know that it had a beginning because it exists, and has an end, as also told in Revelation 21:1.
What the relationship between our two created realms is, exactly, is not really given to us. But let me share how I see these realms in relation to the Creator and His creative act of forming them. This is where I bring in an illustration.
In the image shared above, you will see that I have shown them as connected in some fashion, while being separate (maybe that’s the “tunnel” that some claim to experience on death). But this is only one possible configuration between the two realms. Other possibilities could be side by side, conjoined, concentric, or something unknown to us, like a kind of phased relationship, much like our own spirit and body relationship within each of us.
Looking again at the image with the hands, I see the creation existing within the hands of God. And as the image shows, His “Hands” are none other than Jesus and the Holy Spirit (as a metaphor).
What got me to see the creation in this way is rather simple, when you think about it. Paul tells Timothy that Father God lives in unapproachable light.
1 Timothy 6:16 He [God] alone can never die, and He lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach Him. No human [read, “mortal”] eye has ever seen Him, nor ever will. All honor and power to Him forever! Amen.
And since evil cannot exist in His presence, He had to do something to protect Lucifer from destruction upon his first sin.
Psalm 5: 4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
5 Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
6 You will destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord detests murderers and deceivers. (NLT)
This is why I show His hands and a kind of bubble around the creation (both realms), since sin originated in the spirit realm and was brought into the physical realm.
I see this as God’s way of protecting us from His righteousness that would automatically destroy our evil nature and us with it.
So we can say that when Jesus tells us that “No one can come to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6), it is a literal fact. Look again at the hands of God in the image.
And this, I believe is for our protection.
Notice the irony of those who deny Jesus while He is protecting them from utter destruction due to their evil nature (which all humans born of Adam and Eve have). If it were not for Jesus and Holy Spirit protecting us from God’s righteousness, we would not exist. And there is absolutely no way to get to the Father without going through Jesus, physically, spiritually, or any other way.
But do not think that Jesus will not punish those who deserve it. He has promised that He will execute His vengeance upon evil man.
Romans 12:9 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. (NLT)
We know that Jesus is patient and desires that no one should suffer such a fate. But the time will come when His patience runs out.
2 Peter 3:8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
Yes, it’s that important and He’s indeed that serious about it.
God’s Wrath
So with all of that in mind, let’s turn our attention to what this will look like and how it will play out. This will not be an exhaustive treatment of the wrath of God, but I’ll share it as deeply as this study will allow. You can see this discussed in more depth in End Times Made Easy, my other book on eschatology.
Firstly, it’s important to know when His wrath will come upon this rebellious planet and people. Many teachers seem to confuse God’s wrath with Satan’s wrath. So I’ll start with clearing that up for you.
Timing
According to Revelation 12:12, the Great Tribulation is Satan’s wrath. Here it is with a bit of context:
Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens,
“It has come at last—
salvation and power
and the Kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters
has been thrown down to earth—
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night.
11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much
that they were afraid to die.
12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens!
And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!
But terror will come on the earth and the sea,
for the devil has come down to you in great anger,
knowing that he has little time.”
13 When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman [Israel] who had given birth to the male child [Jesus]. 14 But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time [3½ years; 1,260 days]. (NLT)
This throwing down of the dragon—Satan and his fallen angels—will not occur until the tribulation has already begun. We know this, partially, through what we just read: verse 10 says that he accuses our brothers and sisters. Those are saints. And saints only exist since Jesus was here. So this is definitely in the “last days”, since Jesus ascended into heaven.
And when Jesus says that there will be a time so terrible that no other time will be as terrible, this is the time He is referring to (see Mathew 24). We call it the Great Tribulation.
Matthew 24:15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.”
That is a description of what Satan’s wrath will look like. And Jesus has promised us persecution for having faith in Him.
Matthew 10:16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
And Jeus actually hints in Matthew 24 when God’s wrath actually begins. Here it is:
Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the anguish [tribulation] of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. (NLT)
That part about the sun, moon, stars, and powers is a quote from earlier prophets in the Old Testament. It refers to the Day of the Lord, which is a thousand year period that begins with His wrath. (See Isaiah 24:23, Amos 5:18, Zephaniah 1:4-16, and Zechariah 14:6-7. And Peter echoes it in Acts 2:20 as well.)
And Peter also shows that the Day of the Lord will be a long period of time.
2 Peter 3:11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. (NLT)
When taken in context, we see that the Day of the Lord includes His wrath, judgment, and reign during the Millennium. That is a thousand-year period, which coincides with Peter’s instruction that a day is as a thousand years with God.
This means that the tribulation is Satan’s wrath and God’s wrath begins immediately following Satan’s rampage. Please do not confuse the two with each other. It isn’t biblical to do so. And also know that the Millennium begins after His wrath is completed. The first millennial judgment (of the sheep and goats) is not part of His wrath as shown throughout John’s visions in Revelation.
The Lamb on the Throne
I see Jesus on His throne in heaven. He has been receiving His brothers and sisters ever since the time He died for us in the first century. Early on, He received thousands of believers who were horribly tortured and killed for their faith in Him and His Gospel.
Since that time, more and more and more of His faithful have come to Him in naked souls after their bodies were mutilated, burnt, and destroyed on His account. Billions have come to Him over the last two millennia and in the tribulation the most ever will be received.
John saw a multitude of believers in heaven in one of his visions recorded in Revelation 7.
Revelation 7:9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings [seraphim]. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. 12 They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
and serve Him day and night in His Temple.
And He Who sits on the throne
will give them shelter.
16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
17 For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (NLT)
If you have been taught that these are all Jews, or what some call “tribulation saints”, then you need to toss that form of dippy-sensationalist teaching in the trash where it belongs. These people are saints of Christ from all nations, tongues and tribes. They are not just the offspring of Jacob. And if someone told you that the Church is not in the book of Revelation in its main teachings then that too is a lie. Did John call them the “ekklesia”, a Greek word for “congregation”? No, He was more emphatic than that. These are saints who were killed in the wrath of Satan for their faith in Jesus. And they died in the tribulation—a truth that pretribulational error can’t seem to understand. You might be one of these saints. Me too. If so, rejoice in your future martyrdom for His name.
The Return
With each beloved servant He receives, His patience wanes a bit and His ire waxes. He cannot forget a single one of the atrocities against His beloved. By the time this age is nearing its appointed end, He will be boiling mad and ready to unleash His awesome wrath against those who have hurt each of His dear saints and sheep. He has taken each offense as a personal attack against Himself.
So at the appointed time, set by the Father, He calls His white horse to Himself and mounts and zooms off toward the physical realm.
His archangels, Michael and Gabriel, scurry to mount and join Him. They can only try to catch up as He speeds out of the spirit realm’s borders. The angel armies scramble to catch up to their Leader and His captains.
I see Him pass Pluto on the edge of our solar system. Then He passes Neptune and Uranus. Saturn and Jupiter are just fleeting scenery as He speeds ever closer to His beloved in peril.
As He approaches the asteroid belt, He shouts and the celestial rocks in His and His angels’ path are sent like missiles ahead to the planet He loves. Those rocks are soon to be agents of wrath, pummeling the blue orb we call home. We can read about these celestial bombs in the visions of John on Patmos.
If the space monitoring stations have not been utterly destroyed by Satan and his antichrist, they get the alarms and see images or data showing a huge number of targets heading toward our world. Astrophysicists and astronomers are warning of impending calamity, as a mass collision event is on its way.
Like a shotgun blast, the earth is hit by thousands of rocks in the form of meteorites—all aflame and bursting on the surface, raising fire and smoke into the atmosphere, choking out the rays of the sun, moon, and stars.
On the surface, it seems as if the sky is falling. A full third of the planet is pummeled. Darkness begins to cover the reeling planet, now meeting its fate. Smoke and ash begin to reign the skies. But the ash has a property to it that causes caustic burns on the skin of the unrepentant.
One large rock hits the ocean, spoiling the waters and turning the entire ocean red, killing all sea life and sinking all ships. Another huge rock slams into the land and its cloud turns all fresh water it touches into poison.
Tsunamis wash onto the land like never before imagined and wipe millions from the coasts into oblivion.
Right about this time is when the astronomers are noticing a second wave of objects coming our way. But by now even amateur astronomers are seeing a glow coming from the depths of space, even through the clouds a glow as bright as the Sun is beginning to appear in the East.
Panic begins to take hold of the entire human race as all can see with the naked eye that something really terrible and awesome is unfolding before them.
Just about this time, the Commander of the angel armies halts, just outside Earth’s atmosphere. His captains finally catch up to Him and flank Him on each side. Gabriel on one side and Michael on the other. Then He tells Gabriel to blow his horn.
The blast of Gabriel’s horn is heard and felt around the planet, as if he were right next to every ear. The Lord shouts a terrible cry and Michael does too. This is when the angel armies finally catch up and flow around the three like rocks in a torrential river. They stream past the Holy leaders and speed ever faster to their appointed targets.
Some are tasked with capturing the enemy, now cowering in their holes. One angel has the key to the abyss and throws the great devil, Satan, into the dark dungeon and slams the door shut with the culprit in chains.
Others are on a rescue mission to find the ones who have been faithful to their Master. They scour the planet for survivors.
The Lord Himself begins to scrub the planet clean of the refuse that refused His hand in friendship. He is terrible and fierce as He rains down His flaming bolts of fury upon the rebels. Many die in His vengeful wrath.
About this time, the four living creatures [seraphim] still in the spirit realm come together to form a portal in space that appears over where the Lord had paused, just outside the upper atmosphere. On their end of this passage between realms, the call is made for all the righteous in heaven to come and join the triumphal parade around Earth. This is on day 75 of his wrath.
Through it they stream and assemble in the air over the reeling planet. Billions of them are assembling. Each one is glowing white in pure robes of righteousness. As they come through the Lord’s door to Earth, they each receive a new body that is sinless and a blend of both spirit and physical matter.
On the surface, those who can see into the sky are amazed at the sight of these people, robed in perfection and light, streaming across the heavens. They begin a procession across the sky as they shout praises and acclamation for their Deliverer Who is giving them the same glory that has previously been His alone. In an instant, each one is transformed into a new form of humanity—glorified saints.
Around the globe they glide through the air.
This is about the time that those living believers and faithful followers of the Master are found by His angel troops and are sent to Him in the air. Each one goes to Him and receives the same new nature with a holy hug and a kiss. Then they too join the procession over the world that is now stretching out over continents.
At long last, freedom from tyranny and oppression of the enemy has been realized by all His faithful. In short time, all that are to be redeemed and perfected are there, flying through the sky and brimming with joy.
This procession continues until all who have been redeemed from humanity are transformed into their new state. They fly safely above the nations below, never again to be equal to those on the ground.
Armageddon
After a time of wrath and rescue (150 days), the time comes for the final showdown between rebellious mankind and Holy Maker. By now, all who are called into the new form of humanity are united and transformed. No one else will be given this condition of perfection and invincibility. Their number is sealed for all eternity at this time.
On the ground in Israel, all the evil armies of mankind have assembled from the Mediterranean shore to the Dead Sea and Galilee. From Syria to Sinai, troops in tanks, and armored vehicles, and trenches are assembled and ready to face their Maker. Their commander, the beast called antichrist, and his false prophet have made their camp on the hill called Megiddo, at the Valley of Jezreel.
The Holy One arrives from the East and sees the armies assembled against Him on the ground. If there are aircraft, they tumble to the ground and burst into flames. The same happens to any drones in the air.
The Commander of angel armies raises His Holy voice and utters a shout that causes men below to panic and begin to kill one another. He rains down fire from the sky that consumes them. He sends a plague, like He has already done for the previous five months of this arial campaign, that causes the people to look like corpses, with skin falling off and eyes and tongues rotting in their sockets and mouths. Even their animals suffer the same pestilence.
His wrath is given in full force in this final blast of Holy retribution and vengeance. Very few people on the earth survive. It is like the number of grapes or olives after the harvest. What used to be a planet of eight billion souls is now just a tiny fraction of that number.
All who are still alive are collected from the four corners of the world and brought to the One Who is about to sit on His throne in Jerusalem.
After all of His faithful are collected and transformed and all of His mightiest foes are vanquished, He then sets foot on the Mount of Olives, near Bethany, where He ascended two thousand years before. The Lord has finally returned to Earth. All of His holy ones are with Him.
His millennial reign is about to begin. A literal time of one thousand years of peace, prosperity, and perfect rule over imperfect people. Those who have been perfected are poised to reign with Him over the surviving few mortals that will be allowed to remain.
But first, He must decide who those fortunate few will be. They will be the ones to repopulate the planet with children who will know their God and give Him praise and worship like never before. And He will be Their God and they will feel His presence upon them. They will have their prayers answered without delay. There will be no more doubt about His love, provision, and care for them. No more mystery, no more doubt. No more wishing through faith and hope, for they will be satisfied. Only one religion will remain (Judaism), and the good God will be visible, touchable, and near—never again to leave them unattended. He will speak and they will hear. He will command and they will obey. Or else.
Chapter 4 Discussion and Reflection
Questions:
- When Jesus returns, does He come with vengeance?
- According to the Bible (and only the Bible) when are the saints resurrected?
- According to the Bible (and only the Bible) when are the living saints caught up (raptured) to Jesus?
Answers:
- Yes. He returns with great wrath for the treatment of His brothers and sisters (the saints).
- While Jesus is in the air over Earth, before touching down on the ground.
- While Jesus is in the air over the Earth, before touching down on earth, but after the resurrection.
Reflection: If the Millennium is not literal, how can we understand anything about the End Times? How does an allegorical temple have measurements and rituals, with priests?
