SYRIA AND THE END TIMES

BY BRITT GILLETTE

With all the events taking place in Syria right now, many people are asking, "What does the Bible have to say about Syria and the end times? 

Is this the beginning of World War III and Armageddon?" Those are legitimate questions, but let me assure you, this is not the end. How can I be so sure? 

Because the Bible says Armageddon takes place at the end of the seven-year Tribulation (Revelation 16:16), and the Tribulation has yet to begin.

That said, I believe recent events in Syria have great significance when it comes to the study of bible prophecy. 

This doesn't mean you're guaranteed to see the immediate fulfillment of any specific bible prophecy. However, it does mean you should pay close attention. 

Why? Because, at the very least, these events are setting the table for the fulfillment of multiple bible prophecies.

Just look around you. The signs of the Second Coming are everywhere. The restoration of Israel (Isaiah 11:12)... The Jews back in Jerusalem (Luke 21:24-28)... The Gospel preached to the world (Matthew 24:14)... An increase in travel and knowledge (Daniel 12:4)... The rise of the European Union (Daniel 2:43)... And many more. 

Jesus says once you see all these signs come together, His return is near (Luke 21:28). This means the Tribulation is close, and you should expect to see the fulfillment of many end times prophecies in the near future.

Below are two prophetic events especially relevant to the ongoing events in Syria. The first could take place at any moment. 

I believe a careful study of the Bible reveals the second event will take place sometime after the war foretold in Psalm 83. 

Either way, both events could be very close to fulfillment. While both could still be several years away, breaking events could lead to their fulfillment in this very hour.

1) The Destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17)

Chapter 17 in the Book of Isaiah paints a sobering picture. In it, the city of Damascus is a pile of rubble. The Bible says it will disappear from the face of the earth and become a heap of ruins (Isaiah 17:1). 

At the same time, large parts of northern Israel will also lie in ruin (Isaiah 17:3). Now, before you say this prophecy was fulfilled during Old Testament times, keep this in mind... This passage says Damascus will cease to be a city (Isaiah 17:1). 

It will be utterly and completely destroyed. Yet, Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on record. Its history goes back more than 5,000 years. At 2,600 years old, the Book of Isaiah itself is new compared to Damascus! This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.

So how do current events in Syria relate to Isaiah 17? Following the U.S. strike on the Syrian airfield Shayrat, Syria's allies issued a joint statement saying, "What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines. From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well". 

While this statement was clearly in response to a U.S. bombing, these nations made it clear they will respond to any nation they view as an aggressor. 

This includes Israel. While it hasn't been a major news story, Israel has also been bombing Syria. They're bombing Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists operating on the northern border of Israel. 

If Syria and its allies view their situation as desperate, they may decide to use these bombing raids as an excuse to launch a chemical attack on Israel. 

This is because drawing Israel into the war could rally the Muslim world to Syria's side. Saddam Hussein tried this same tactic during the first Gulf War. In 1991, he fired Scud missiles at Israel in an effort to draw them into the war and break up the coalition aligned against him.

If Syria, Hezbollah, or any of their allies managed to strike Israel with a weapon of mass destruction, the response would be swift. Israel would most likely respond in kind. If their intelligence revealed the Assad regime was behind such an attack, nuclear retaliation on Damascus would not be out of the question.

While this is all speculation, and not necessary how Isaiah 17 will be fulfilled, it shows how realistic a near-term fulfillment of this prophecy could be. With current instability in the region, and so many warring factions in Syria, events could spiral out of control very quickly. 

At this point in time, it's not difficult to imagine a scenario in which Damascus is completely destroyed.

2) The Gog of Magog War (Ezekiel 38-39)

Current events in Syria are also setting the stage for the Gog of Magog War. More than 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel warned of a future time when a vast coalition of nations will attack Israel. 

Ezekiel identifies these nations as "Magog, Rosh, Meschech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah" (Ezekiel 38:1-6). These nations have since come to be known as the Gog of Magog alliance. 

Now, with the exception of Persia and Cush, I realize most people have never heard of these nations. 

But keep in mind Ezekiel used the names of these nations as they were known in his day. Each one is a clearly identifiable nation today. So who are these nations in our day and time?

Below is a list. The Old Testament name is listed first, followed by its modern day equivalent:

Rosh = Russia

Magog = Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan

Persia = Iran

Cush = Sudan

Put = Libya

Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah = Turkey

Collectively, these nations have never attacked Israel. In fact, in the history of the world, such an alliance of nations has never existed. 

But today we see it coming together right in front of us. Since 1989, Russia and Iran have gradually strengthened their diplomatic, military, and economic ties. 

Yet, in the first 2,600 years after Ezekiel recorded his prophecies, the nations of Russia and Persia (Iran) had never been part of any alliance of any sort. Never. Cooperation between Russia and Iran, especially military cooperation, didn't take place. 

This led many people to claim Ezekiel's prophecy was symbolic. Why? Because the idea of the Gog of Magog war seemed absurd. After all, at the dawn of the 20th Century, Russia was an orthodox Christian nation and Israel didn't exist! 

But those who believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible knew otherwise.  They knew all prophecy would come to pass. Because bible prophecy doesn't come from mere humans. It's God's Word (2 Peter 1:19-21).

In the years since, the stage has been set for the literal fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39. A 1917 communist revolution transformed Russia from a Christian nation to an atheist nation. 

In 1948, Israel once again became a nation. And earlier this week, Russia and Iran issued a joint statement vowing to respond with force to any aggressor.

And Turkey? For decades, people have wondered how Turkey could be a part of this alliance. After all, Turkey is a member of NATO. 

And in late 2015, Turkey shot down a Russian jet when it strayed into Turkish airspace. Russia and Turkey seem to be at odds. 

So how could Turkey be a part of this alliance? At first glance, it seems unlikely. But in the summer of 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan jailed thousands of political opponents. And just today (Easter Sunday 2017), Turkey voted to eliminate its parliamentary form of government and give expanded powers to Erdogan. 

Ultimately, this could be what pushes Turkey into the Russian sphere of influence. Erdogan is an anti-Western, pro-Islamist leader, and he's worked hard to strengthen Turkey's ties with Russia. 

In light of these developments, we can see the Gog of Magog alliance coming together for the first time in history. 

For the first time since Israel re-emerged on the world scene in May 1948, the main players of the Ezekiel 38-39 alliance are all working together. Even more important, they all have military personnel on Israel's northern border. The stage is set for the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39.

What Will Ultimately Happen?

While terrible destruction awaits Damascus (Isaiah 17:1), northern Israel (Isaiah 17:3), and the entire Gog of Magog Alliance (Ezekiel 38:19-22), we have reason to be hopeful. 

Because of these events, the Bible says people will soon look to and acknowledge their Creator - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Isaiah 17:7). 

When He strikes down Israel's enemies, the whole world will know He is the God Israel (Ezekiel 38:23).

In the days and weeks ahead, we can't be certain what will happen in Syria. But in the long run, we can be absolutely certain the events of Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38-39 will be fulfilled. 

Damascus will lie in ruin, and the Gog of Magog Alliance will be destroyed. These events are certain. 

Because whatever He has declared, God will bring to pass (Isaiah 14:24). And when these things happen, the world will no longer be able to deny Him. He will destroy the enemies of Israel in plain view of the entire world.

"In this way," says the Lord. "I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord." Ezekiel 38:23 (NLT)

WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH

For most of the history of the Church, the classic interpretation of Bible prophecy was the historicist, or preterist view that virtually all Bible prophecy was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Historicism is the view of Bible prophecy espoused by Roman Catholicism since its foundation in 323 AD by Constantine of Rome.
It was the view of virtually all of the Reformers and the Reformed Confessions. It survived as the classical, Protestant interpretation of prophecy for over 500 years.

Most critics of Pretribulational Dispensationalism are quick to point out that it wasn't widely taught until sometime in the early 1800's (although that is not exactly accurate . . . I'll get to that shortly.)
Most historicists take a preterist view of the Olivet Discourse, but disassociate it from the tribulation as found in Revelation and some New Testament Epistles. During the last 150 years, within evangelicalism, futurism has grown to dominate and overcome historicism.
In a nutshell, the preterist/historicist view of Bible prophecy is that everything Dispensationalists expect to happen during the Tribulation has already occurred.

A few examples; (preterist quotes courtesy of Tommy Ice)
The Great Tribulation already took place, and culminated with the Destruction of the Temple in AD 70. They say it will not be repeated, and thus is not a future event.
The Great Apostasy spoken of by Paul happened in the first century. In the preterist view, "instead of expecting increasing apostasy as history progresses; instead, we should expect the increasing Christianization of the world."
The Last Days "is a Biblical expression for the period between Christ's Advent and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70: the "last days" of Israel."
The Antichrist "is a term used by John to describe the widespread apostasy of the Christian Church prior to the Fall of Jerusalem. In general, any apostate teacher or system can be called 'antichrist'; but the word does not refer to some 'future Fuhrer.'"

The Rapture is "the 'catching up' of the living saints 'to meet the Lord in the air.' The Bible does not teach any separation between the Second Coming and the Rapture; they are simply different aspects of the Last Day."

The Beast "of Revelation was a symbol of both Nero in particular and the Roman Empire in general."

It takes a lot of Scriptural gymnastics to make it all work.
For example, The Thousand Years of Revelation 20:2-7 is a "large, rounded-off number. . . . the number ten contains the idea of a fullness of quantity; in other words, it stands for "many-ness". A thousand multiplies and intensifies this (10 X 10 X 10), in order to express great vastness. . . . represent a vast, undefined period of time . . . It may require a million years."

To many Jews, the symbol of the Cross is the symbol of ultimate anti-Semitism. To them, all Christians are secret anti-Semites and (accurately) argue that Christianity is the well-spring from which sprang two thousand years of pogroms and persecution, up to and including the Holocaust.
The preterist/historicist view of Bible prophecy, held by both Catholicism and mainstream Protestantism, teaches the following about Israel and the Jews.
"Ethnic Israel was excommunicated for its apostasy and will never again be God's Kingdom." Thus, "the Bible does not tell of any future plan for Israel as a special nation." The Church is now that new nation (Matt. 21:43) which is why Christ destroyed the Jewish state. "In destroying Israel, Christ transferred the blessings of the kingdom from Israel to a new people, the church."

One of the basic tenets of preterism is that the Great Harlot of Revelation was "Jerusalem which had always been . . . falling into apostasy and persecuting the prophets . . . which had ceased to be the City of God."
The Beast "of Revelation was a symbol of both Nero in particular and the Roman Empire in general."
Finally -- and allow the implications of this to fully sink in -- "The False Prophet "of Revelation was the leadership of apostate Israel, who rejected Christ and worshipped the Beast."

Think about this. If the preterist/historicist view is correct [it is not] then the false prophet of Revelation are the Jews and their descendants.
Warring against the Jews could easily be seen as working against the antichrist and false prophet. In that view, killing them off would be doing God a favor!
"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." (John 16:2)

LETS THINK ABOUT THIS

If pretribulational Dispensationalism is so relatively young, is it an invented doctrine? It is a good question, one that keeps the preterists from even considering it as a valid doctrine.
They argue that, if it was valid, it would have been accepted doctrine throughout Church history, instead of something 'invented by Margaret MacDonald and C. I. Schofield in the 1800s'.

In point of fact, pretribulational Dispensationalism was taught by the early church, as my friend Grant Jeffrey has already proved.
In fact, I remember the day in Grant's study in Toronto when he told me of his discoveries of several ancient manuscripts, sometime in early 1994. Grant keyed in on a passage written by Ephraem the Syrian, who died around 373 AD.

"For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."

Grant's discovery was authenticated by several other major authorities and it proves that pretribulationalism was NOT a recent invention of what the preterists call 'militant futurism' but was commonly accepted doctrine until the rise of Catholicism.
At the risk of being inundated with emails from Catholics, it is an historical fact that the 'Dark Ages' of history were so-called because, during that time, Bibles were denied to the common man by papal decree.
The Church developed the preterist/historicist interpretation of Bible prophecy and offering any other interpretation would get you burned at the stake. (So would possessing a Bible.)

THAT is why historicism is the 'classical' interpretation. The Dark Ages lasted until the Protestant Reformation. But Protestantism sprang OUT of Catholicism.
The split was over salvation by grace [Protestant] vs. salvation by works [Catholic] but, other than that, Protestantism embraced and continued to accept much Catholic doctrine and dogma.

Wrongly dividing the Word of God has resulted in the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy to the Jews (John 16:2) being the standard operating practice of mainstream Christianity until the middle of the 20th century.
Preterists believe Israel is the antichrist, and that embracing Israel as God's Chosen People is spiritual adultery. That is why debates between preterists and pretribulationalists get so nasty.

Type 'Hal Lindsey' into Google and look around. You'll find his critics don't just disagree with him, they HATE him with a passion. He's been accused of every known heresy and then some.
Hal wrote a book entitled "The Road to Holocaust" in 1989 that directly challenged the preterist worldview as espoused by Dominionism and its champions. He's been the target of every slander imaginable since.
The reason is because Hal demonstrated preterism was the root and branch of Christian anti-Semitism -- and his critics despise him for exposing them.

Our mission is to provide you with the evidences you need to answer challenges from skeptics and to provide you with the evidence you need to prove that these are the last days, that Bible prophecy is unfolding in this generation, and that the time is short.
From time to time, it is necessary to review some basic information in order to bring everybody up to speed -- so for some of you, a lot of today's column has been review. My apologies.

The Scriptures admonish us to, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. . . Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some." (2nd Timothy 2:15-16,18)

You can be confident that we are NOT following some newly invented doctrine, despite the charges of historicist/preterism.
Rather, 
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" (2nd Peter 1:19)

Don't allow yourself to be bamboozled into buying into what I believe Paul was referring to when he wrote: 
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils . . ." (1st Timothy 4:1)

God's Word, rightly divided, says: "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." (Romans 13:11)

Don't let your faith be shaken by cleverly-wording arguments that almost seem to make sense. Remember Jesus' warning to Israel.

"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." (John 16:2)

The gaping holes in the preterist/historicist interpretation of Bible prophecy confirms the truth of Dispensationalism. The Lord IS coming back. And He is coming back soon.
I'm betting my eternity on it.

WE SHALL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION

Some time ago I saw an individual's anti-pretrib comments on various social media platforms. He wasn't just part of the usual anti-pretrib police. This man was promoting his new book, claiming to expose the fallacious pretrib rapture. I finally bit and downloaded the Kindle edition. 

Whenever I read that john Darby taught two ways of salvation; or that he relied on Margaret MacDonald; or that Harold Camping was a pretribber (he was amillennial) - I know the author is biased and/or hasn't done the homework. Such was the case here.

According to the book, one of the fallacies of pretribulationism is its appeal to Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage. The book's rebuttal draws from posttribulationist Robert Gundry's arguments. These include the meaning of the expression "tereo ek" as used in Rev 3:10 and John 17:15. Gundry argued for protection within the time of trial.

Note: Richard Mayhue has responded HERE. See also Jeffery Townsend's The Rapture in Revelation 3:10 and Tony Garland's commentary.

The book's prewrath author presented a similar conclusion to Marvin Rosenthal (The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church). Rosenthal contended that Rev 3:10 wasn't a watershed verse which determined the timing of the rapture - instead, Rev 3:9-10 dealt with the keeping from the temptation within the Great Tribulation.

Despite the claim of fallacy, at least two leaders of the prewrath system treat Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage. They (Charles Cooper & Alan Kurschner) agree that believers are raptured out of the world so as not to experience God's wrath, based on this promise.

Interestingly, Cooper even agrees with John Niemelä's premises regarding the grammar of Rev 3:9-10 (though not the timing). Niemelä suggests a revision of the punctuation, like so:

Verse 9) “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie - indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you because you have kept my command to persevere.

(The above underlined part is normally included in v 10 below)

Verse 10) I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Notice that this revised punctuation removes the condition for being kept from the hour of trial. Pretribulationism doesn't need this particular argument. But if correct, it counters the notion that persevering through the Great Tribulation is a precondition for exemption from God's wrath.

The promise to the Philadelphian Church applies to us today. In Niemelä's second presentation, he writes:

“For almost 2000 years, physical death has been the means for preventing Church Age believers from living into the hour of trial. Christ kept His promise to the first century Philadelphians. In so doing, He has given a prototype of the way that He delivers the entire Church. The deliverance is Pre-tribulational. Thus far, death has been the means of deliverance. However, the final generation of the Church will receive its deliverance via the Rapture.”

So the essential difference between Cooper's view and pretribulationism is a disagreement on what period constitutes God's eschatological wrath. For Cooper, God's wrath only occurs within a technically defined period, after "Antichrist's Great Tribulation."

Most premil posttribulationists see God's wrath only occurring during the Day of the Lord, just before the millennium. While pretribulationist Richard Mayhue concurs that the Day of the Lord occurs at the end of the 70th week, he also acknowledges that God's wrath is present throughout the seven years.

On the other hand, some scholars note that the Day of the Lord isn't always confined to a single, technical, moment. In Central Themes in Biblical Theology, Paul House writes that the NT writers saw the Day of the Lord as a possible past event, "potentially in the present, and future oriented in time." According to William Dumbrell:

“The concept of the Day of the Lord, as considered by the prophets, is not singular in meaning; the connotation can be determined only by examining each context in which the phrase appears.”~ The Search for Order: Biblical Eschatology in Focus

This explains the differences in Joel's and Paul's Day of the Lord statements regarding the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:31; 1 Thess 5:2-3). Can anyone be in a state of "peace and safety" after the 2nd and 4th seal judgments?

God's wrath is present in the elements of the fourth seal. The language parallels Ezek 5:13-17; 7:3-19; 14:21. Why does John use Old Testament wrathful language in the 4th seal if such isn't the case? Or, as Robert Van Kampen asserted, for an event which exclusively affects the church and the Jews in order to purify them?

This isn't the kind of tribulation we ordinarily experience in the world (Rev 1:9). This is God's wrath.

God uses people and nations as instruments of His wrath. See Habakkuk chapters one and two as an example. There is no contradiction in God using Satan as His instrument of wrath. Neither does Satan's wrath in the 2nd half of the 70th week (Rev 12:12) cancel out God's wrath. Why would it?

Furthermore, Satan and the Lawless One are used by God as judgment because of rebellion and refusal to love the truth. Paul clearly affirms this in 2 Thess 2:7, 9-12.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie...”

Hence, the Seal Judgments and the Great Tribulation form the trial which will test the world.

“I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Rev 3:10

This isn't pretrib rapture wishful thinking. There are no hidden clauses in this promise. It doesn't say the church must suffer through Seal Judgments, or the Great Tribulation, before it is finally raptured.

 

For own their reasons, dedicated critics of pretribulationism strive to enforce provisos and stipulations to the promise of exemption. Perhaps it gives some a sense of moral higher ground.

As for me, I'll take Rev 3:10 at face-value. I want to live every day in anticipation of that shout (1 Thess 4:16-18).

Lord, come quickly!

Some time ago I saw an individual's anti-pretrib comments on various social media platforms. He wasn't just part of the usual anti-pretrib police. This man was promoting his new book, claiming to expose the fallacious pretrib rapture. I finally bit and downloaded the Kindle edition. 

Whenever I read that john Darby taught two ways of salvation; or that he relied on Margaret MacDonald; or that Harold Camping was a pretribber (he was amillennial) - I know the author is biased and/or hasn't done the homework. Such was the case here.

According to the book, one of the fallacies of pretribulationism is its appeal to Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage. The book's rebuttal draws from posttribulationist Robert Gundry's arguments. These include the meaning of the expression "tereo ek" as used in Rev 3:10 and John 17:15. Gundry argued for protection within the time of trial.

Note: Richard Mayhue has responded HERE. See also Jeffery Townsend's The Rapture in Revelation 3:10 and Tony Garland's commentary.

The book's prewrath author presented a similar conclusion to Marvin Rosenthal (The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church). Rosenthal contended that Rev 3:10 wasn't a watershed verse which determined the timing of the rapture - instead, Rev 3:9-10 dealt with the keeping from the temptation within the Great Tribulation.

Despite the claim of fallacy, at least two leaders of the prewrath system treat Rev 3:10 as a rapture passage. They (Charles Cooper & Alan Kurschner) agree that believers are raptured out of the world so as not to experience God's wrath, based on this promise.

Interestingly, Cooper even agrees with John Niemelä's premises regarding the grammar of Rev 3:9-10 (though not the timing). Niemelä suggests a revision of the punctuation, like so:

Verse 9) “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie - indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you because you have kept my command to persevere.

(The above underlined part is normally included in v 10 below)

Verse 10) I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Notice that this revised punctuation removes the condition for being kept from the hour of trial. Pretribulationism doesn't need this particular argument. But if correct, it counters the notion that persevering through the Great Tribulation is a precondition for exemption from God's wrath.

The promise to the Philadelphian Church applies to us today. In Niemelä's second presentation, he writes:

“For almost 2000 years, physical death has been the means for preventing Church Age believers from living into the hour of trial. Christ kept His promise to the first century Philadelphians. In so doing, He has given a prototype of the way that He delivers the entire Church. The deliverance is Pre-tribulational. Thus far, death has been the means of deliverance. However, the final generation of the Church will receive its deliverance via the Rapture.”

So the essential difference between Cooper's view and pretribulationism is a disagreement on what period constitutes God's eschatological wrath. For Cooper, God's wrath only occurs within a technically defined period, after "Antichrist's Great Tribulation."

Most premil posttribulationists see God's wrath only occurring during the Day of the Lord, just before the millennium. While pretribulationist Richard Mayhue concurs that the Day of the Lord occurs at the end of the 70th week, he also acknowledges that God's wrath is present throughout the seven years.

On the other hand, some scholars note that the Day of the Lord isn't always confined to a single, technical, moment. In Central Themes in Biblical Theology, Paul House writes that the NT writers saw the Day of the Lord as a possible past event, "potentially in the present, and future oriented in time." According to William Dumbrell:

“The concept of the Day of the Lord, as considered by the prophets, is not singular in meaning; the connotation can be determined only by examining each context in which the phrase appears.”~ The Search for Order: Biblical Eschatology in Focus

This explains the differences in Joel's and Paul's Day of the Lord statements regarding the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:31; 1 Thess 5:2-3). Can anyone be in a state of "peace and safety" after the 2nd and 4th seal judgments?

God's wrath is present in the elements of the fourth seal. The language parallels Ezek 5:13-17; 7:3-19; 14:21. Why does John use Old Testament wrathful language in the 4th seal if such isn't the case? Or, as Robert Van Kampen asserted, for an event which exclusively affects the church and the Jews in order to purify them?

This isn't the kind of tribulation we ordinarily experience in the world (Rev 1:9). This is God's wrath.

God uses people and nations as instruments of His wrath. See Habakkuk chapters one and two as an example. There is no contradiction in God using Satan as His instrument of wrath. Neither does Satan's wrath in the 2nd half of the 70th week (Rev 12:12) cancel out God's wrath. Why would it?

Furthermore, Satan and the Lawless One are used by God as judgment because of rebellion and refusal to love the truth. Paul clearly affirms this in 2 Thess 2:7, 9-12.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie...”

Hence, the Seal Judgments and the Great Tribulation form the trial which will test the world.

“I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Rev 3:10

This isn't pretrib rapture wishful thinking. There are no hidden clauses in this promise. It doesn't say the church must suffer through Seal Judgments, or the Great Tribulation, before it is finally raptured.

 

For own their reasons, dedicated critics of pretribulationism strive to enforce provisos and stipulations to the promise of exemption. Perhaps it gives some a sense of moral higher ground.

As for me, I'll take Rev 3:10 at face-value. I want to live every day in anticipation of that shout (1 Thess 4:16-18).

Lord, come quickly!

FAITH IS THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN

Faith, the Bible says, is the substance of things hoped for and the expectation of that not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) It is indeed a divine description (pun intended) of something all of us have but few of us can describe.
In saying all of 'us' having faith, I mean the entire human race. There is no person, lost or saved on this planet that doesn't have faith in something.
Consider an atheist with a job and a credit card. He goes to work on Monday because he expects to be paid on payday. Midweek and out of cash, he uses his credit card to pay for lunch, spending on Wednesday.
He works in exchange for the expectation of that not seen, (paycheck), his faith so strong that he spends some of it (the substance of things hoped for) on Wednesday, although he doesn't see it until Friday.
When you get right down to it, that takes a lot of faith. But billions of us live that way, day after day, week after week, for our entire adult lives, and never really give it much thought.

One has faith in a spouse. By her presence, she is both the substance of things hoped for (a happy, lifelong marriage) and the expectation of things not yet seen.
I place my faith in the fact that my wife wants the same thing and the two of us are working toward the same end to our mutual benefit. But the chief requirement for a happy marriage is mutual love, and that is where my faith is rooted. In her love. Without it, the rest would be impossible.
I am no different in that regard than anybody else, believer or unbeliever. It takes incredible faith and nobody gives it much thought.
Faith without trust is impossible. If I didn't trust that my employer would meet the payroll, I would be less inclined to stay on that job. Or even show up for work.

If I couldn't trust my wife, there would be neither the substance of things hoped for nor the expectation of that not seen (a happy future together).
In the spiritual context, I believe in the promises of Scripture. The substance of things hoped for is my current relationship with Christ. It has substance because my faith has changed my life. I know what it was before Christ. I know what happened when I surrendered to Christ. I know how much different it is now.
There is evidence of things not seen.
But my relationship with Christ is not perfect. Not yet and not now. I remain a sinner, trapped in what Paul referred to as the 'body of this death.'

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:25)

Paul speaks of the imperfect relationship with Christ thusly;

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1st Corinthians 13:12)

It is that second part of that verse that contains the substance that I hope for; when I see Him face to face.
For now, as Paul says, my relationship is like looking through a piece of smoked glass, I only know 'in part'. My sin nature keeps getting in the way, blocking my view, and obscuring the details.
It is that sin nature than caused Paul to echo my frustration and pain when he wrote:

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. . . For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. . . “(Romans 7:7-25)

It takes a lot of faith to overcome that kind of spiritual conflict. I am saved, I am going to heaven, I will see Jesus face to face, and I am a habitual sinner.
I do what I hate, I want to do good and fail, I hate evil before I do it . . . if I were God I wouldn't wait for me to stand before the Judgment Seat, I'd just dissolve me into a pink mist and start over.

That is where 'trust' makes its appearance. The guy who doesn't trust his boss will meet payroll will quit and start looking for another job.
A marriage where one cannot trust one's spouse will end in divorce, and both sides will go out looking for somebody else to put their trust in. 'Faith' and 'trust' are two sides of the same coin, but they are not the same thing.
I trust that Jesus will do what I cannot.

"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

There are believers that believe in Jesus. They believe that He lived a sinless life. That He died for the sins of the world, and that He was Resurrected on the third day. They believe that He washed their sins away when they were saved.
But they don't trust Him. Having surrendered their lives to Him at salvation, they take back both control and responsibility the next day. They construct an artificial table of rules, and then despair when they still fall short.

There are some pretty famous atheists who proudly boast that they are former 'born again' Christians -- Ted Turner comes to mind, but there are others even on a forum I host.
I often wondered how this could be. How someone could have expressed faith in Christ, only to divorce Him later? I have also heard of ex-preachers who lost their faith.
This also gave me pause. How could someone whose faith was so strong they became preachers of the Gospel just quit and start looking for another job?

Faith cannot exist without trust. As trust diminishes, so does faith. If I cannot trust that Jesus will sustain my relationship with Him, then how can I have faith that I will see Him face to face?
If I put my trust in my ability to meet His perfect standard, then my expectation of things hoped for is based on the substance of that which IS seen, i.e., my ability to conduct myself in a sinless manner. No wonder there are those who lose their faith! They put it in the wrong place.
James writes; "O vain man . . .faith without works is dead?" Those who have faith in God but trust in their own works to sustain their faith often point out James 2:20 as evidence that salvation is the product of faith AND works.
They miss the context of the next verse;

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” (James 2:21)

In context, James is speaking of trusting God, not doing good works. Trust me, if you kill your son on an altar, you won't be doing a 'good work'. Instead, James explains,

"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." (James 2:24)

Abraham 'believed God' -- he was willing to kill his son at God's command because he trusted God would not hold that sin to his charge. THAT is what God 'imputed unto him for righteousness'.
Trust. Not 'good works' as defined by a religious sect or church group. Trust. (Abraham was gonna cut his son's throat, for crying out loud.)
A young man asked Jesus what he lacked for salvation;

"Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." (Matthew 19:21-22)

Jesus was making the opposite point to what many Christians come away with.
Jesus KNEW what the young man would say. He put an impossibly high standard on salvation to make a point His disciples immediately picked up on.

"When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?"

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:25-26)

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" . . . "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Ephesians 2:8, Romans 11:6)

"Now unto Him THAT IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM FALLING, and to present you FAULTLESS before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 24-25)

SIGNS FOR THE END OF THE AGE

by Jack Kinsella

According to biologist Aubrey de Grey, the person that will live to be 150 years old has already been born.  Moreover, he says, the person that will live one thousand years will probably be born sometime in the next couple of decades.
Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist and chief scientist at the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) in (where else?) California.  He describes aging as the lifelong accumulation of various types of molecular and cellular damage throughout the body. 

"The idea is to engage in what you might call preventative geriatrics, where you go in to periodically repair that molecular and cellular damage before it gets to the level of abundance that is pathogenic," he explained.

Exactly how far and how fast life expectancy will increase in the future is a subject of some debate, but the trend is clear. An average of three months is being added to life expectancy every year and experts estimate there could be a million centenarians across world by 2030.

To date, world's longest-living person on record lived to 122 and in Japan alone there were more than 44,000 centenarians in 2010. Some researchers say, however, that the trend towards longer lifespan may falter due to an epidemic of obesity now spilling over from rich nations into the developing world.

Jeanne Calumet, died the world’s oldest person in 1997 at the age of 122 years, 164 days old.
In 1965, aged 90 and having outlived all her heirs, Calumet signed a deal to sell her apartment to a French lawyer on a kind of reverse mortgage deal. 
The lawyer (who was 47) agreed to pay Calumet a monthly sum until she died, whereupon the apartment’s ownership would transfer to him.
It sounded like a terrific deal.  She was ninety, he was not yet fifty.  He expected to pick the place up for chump change.  Instead, it probably deserves a place in history as the worst deal ever. 
The lawyer died at aged 77 of cancer.  His widow continued to make the payments until Calumet’s death.  In the end, they paid almost $200,000 – more than double what the place was worth.
Years ago, science-fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein published a fantasy novel called, “Time Enough For Love” that centered around an experiment in longevity and explored the many problems associated with living beyond a normal lifespan.
In the novel, the long-lived “Howard Families” were hunted and hounded by what Heinlein called the “ephemerals” because of the unfair advantage their longer lifespans afforded them.  
Ultimately, because they didn’t die, they were forced to emigrate to another planet, which itself became overcrowded.   
It was a fascinating book because it is a fascinating subject.  If there is anything that all human beings would agree on, it is that life is too short.  All of us would like to live longer, healthier lives.   
Until you give it a little thought.  In 1930 the world population passed the two billion mark for the first time in history.  In 2012, the world population is projected to cross the SEVEN billion threshold.
What would happen if we extended the human lifespan a hundred years?  Or a thousand?  Where would we put everybody?  How would we feed them?
That's why God put a limit on the human lifespan. 
Assessment:
In the Bible’s story about the tower of Babel, Nimrod united all men in an effort to defeat God by building a tower that would ‘reach to heaven’ to which they could flee another flood.

“And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.”

The Bible says that God confused their languages and separated them into nations to demonstrate the folly of attempting to defeat God.  There is a limit to how far God will allow mankind to go before He steps in.
So it is no coincidence that as we approach the end of this age, science is on the threshold of defeating God by reversing the curse of death. 

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4)

According to Moore’s Law of Computing, computer processor capacity doubles every eighteen months.  That means that computers will be ten times smarter in just four years.  As a consequence, so will we.
Ten years from now, it is entirely possible that science will have figured out how to reverse the aging process.  If we are still here ten years from now, which seems less likely with every passing day.
The Book of Daniel was ‘sealed’ – that is to say, the symbolism used throughout was unrecognizable except to the generation to whom the prophecies contained therein were intended.
Thus, since the signs given to Daniel are taking place before our very eyes, we know that the end time prophecies found in the scriptures are for today.
We live in an age of miracles.  In this generation, calling down ‘fire from heaven’ is a more a technological miracle than a supernatural one.  It is to this specific generation that the prophecies are addressed.
Consequently, it is this generation whose attention is most closely focused on the books of Daniel and the Revelation.
Look at all the movies about the end times.  They are not being produced by believers for believers, but by Hollywood for unbelievers.  Hollywood believes in prophecy, it just doesn't believe in God.
The same can be said for many unbelievers.  To them, prophecy is a parlor trick, but to us, it is the power of God.

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Prophecy is the ONE miracle no human being can recreate with technology.  It is what makes the Bible unique among all other sacred writings.  
No one knows the exact day and hour, but we can know when His return is near.  The unbelievers of Noah's day were taken unawares, but Noah was not surprised.  Noah knew one hundred and twenty years beforehand that the flood was coming.

Noah did not know the exact day of the flood; but when Noah finished building the ark, he knew the flood was near.

We are witnessing the construction process for the last day's ark coming to an end.

Prophecy is not given to remain a secret forever, but at the proper time God gives understanding to those who will take notice and believe.You are an example of fulfilled prophecy for the last days.  You are one of the 'watchmen on the wall' that Scripture anticipated and Bible scholars have awaited for centuries. 

"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." (Ezekiel 33:6)

Sir Isaac Newton, in addition to being one of the world's greatest scientific minds, was also a devout believer who was a careful student of Bible prophecy.  He made a sort of prophecy of his own that he extrapolated from the Scriptures.  According to Newton,

"About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up, who will turn their attention to the prophecies, in the midst of much clamor and opposition."

The Bible says the last days' Church will have watchmen appointed, and scoffers (both saved and unsaved) that will require warning.
The Tribulation is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble and has no relationship with the Church.  But we can see from this side of the Rapture, the Tribulation looming on the other side.
One can tell a storm is coming by watching the gathering clouds.  You needn't wait for the rain, if you can read the signs.