By
Pastor Mike Taylor
7 “But
when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled;
for such things must happen, but the end is not
yet.
8 For
nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And
there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be
famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of
sorrows.
9 “But
watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils,
and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before
rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” .. (Mark
13:7-9)
There has been many prophecy teachers that have tried
to explain what the coming Tribulation will be like. Many believe
that we are in the tribulation right now. Surely with all the
Christian persecution, the Middle East murders of the followers of
Jesus Christ, the beheadings, the crucifixions, and the systematic
purging of anything that looks like an aberration from what is
defined as radical Islam, this must be the start of the tribulation.
But they fail to understand what Jesus tried to convey when he spoke
with the apostles 2000 years ago what this time period will be
like.
I'm going to take a stab at trying to paint a
picture for you of what the 7 years known as the Tribulation will be
like, from scripture that describes a period so horrible, so
demonically inspired that it will be the worst time in all of
mankind's history that Jesus said in Matthew 24 in the Olivet
Discourse:
21 “For
then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the
beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall
be.
22 And
unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for
the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”(Matthew
24:21-22)
Men
and women of our world fail to differentiate between tribulation that
has always been brought against mankind for the belief in the Gospel
of Jesus Christ down through the last 2000 years, and the Tribulation
that Jesus speaks of. There has always been death and destruction by
evil men that Satan has inspired to persecute the church of Jesus
Christ. We have read of these crucifixions, beheadings, and people
being burned alive at the stake by the “dark age” religious
authorities, and pagan nations that condemned Christianity as an
affront to their dictatorship.
Much
of the confusion about the Rapture of Christ’s Church, His Bride,
and when it occurs could easily be solved if we clarify what actually
happens during this seven-year period. It is not just tribulation as
the church has experienced during the past 2,000 years. Saints have
been martyred by the thousands, sawn asunder, fed to the lions, had
their own children slaughtered before their eyes, and suffered untold
deprivations.
But what is coming upon the earth in possibly a few short years, or even sooner, will pale the time past of the evils of men killing other men. In short, it will be a thousand times worse. The coming destruction of mankind will be the Middle East we are seeing right now on steroids. To think that the “Tribulation” is just more of the same type of martyrdom we have seen in the past, is to miss the point of what Jesus was talking about and what scripture testifies that this time will be about. I can't fully comprehend or grasp (and I don't want to, because you would have to live it) what will be evident during this terrible time of man's last gasp of trying to rule himself and failing miserably. Let us make a short list of reasons that could possibly be coming soon to a community near you, worldwide. When Satan is allowed to rule over this earth, even for this short period, the dwellers on this earth can expect the following:
1. The number one reason, is that Satan will be cast down to earth and will be physically and paranormally here for the duration of the 7 years we know as the Tribulation.
12 “Therefore
rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants
of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having
great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
(Revelation 12:12)
Satan
has hated the Jewish people, as through them came Jesus Christ, and
for the last 2000 years, he has raged against the Christian Bride of
Christ. He has beaten up and ravaged the people of God, both Jew and
Christian with a diabolically hatred that has only grown stronger as
the end grows ever closer. But the last 7 years, when Satan is cast
down, his rage will be unrestrained and frantic as he knows his time
is very short. The Holy Spirit will be drawn back to allow him full
sway over rebellious mankind and to attempt to destroy all human
beings on earth.
2.
Coupled with Satan being thrown down, he will have at his disposal
the ability to lead billions of demons forces to torment men upon
the earth.
3.
as briefly mentioned in the first point, the Holy Spirit will step
aside to allow Satan full sway in the destruction of mankind.
2nd Thessalonians 2: (NKJV):
7 “For
the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now
restrains will do so until He is taken out of the
way.
8 And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume
with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His
coming. \
9 The
coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan,
with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and
with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they
did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
(2nd Thessalonians
2:7-10)
4.
Demonic forces will be allowed to take on grotesque shapes and forms
and present themselves to torment and destroy sinful men. I envision
the return of the Nephilim, a hybrid of half man, half demon that in
Noah's days were giants that enslaved and cannibalized other men.
5.
Disease and plagues will be mutated into dark forms and there will
be no cure for these diseases unleashed on the unsuspecting earth
dwellers.
6.
Churches will not exist and it will be suicide to meet with anyone
to worship the True God of Heaven, as new converts to Christ will be
hunted down for extinction.
7.
Anyone taking the Mark of the Beast will take on Satan's nature and
will be the enemy of all who accept Jesus Christ during this time,
and will cause many to be killed, even their own family members.
8.
Those who refuse to take the Mark of the Beast will be brutalized,
raped, tortured and possibly cannibalized after their death.
9.
It will possibly be illegal for men and women to marry, as
homosexuality will be worldwide, and the family outlawed.
10.
With all the disease and plagues being rampant, hospitals and
clinics will be extinct, or overrun with cases, and unable to meet
the demand.
11.
Famine and starvation will be universal. No one will be exempt.
12.
The earth will become a God forsaken hellish place to live and to
die upon.
THE
WRATH OF ALMIGHTY GOD
In
past messages, I've tried to convey another aspect of this hellish
time, when Satan will have unlimited access to destroy the dwellers
of the earth, known as the nations. The Tribulation will be bad, so
horrible beyond description, but will be even more horrifying to
those who are actually alive on earth at this time. Oh, it will be so
much more terrifying beyond your wildest nightmare, as a Righteous
and Holy God has unleashed all the power of His might upon a
rebellious mankind who have rejected Him and His payment for their
sins, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ and His atonement written
in His own blood, that God's fury is unleashed full strength.
Revelation chapter 6:
14“Then
the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain
and island was moved out of its place.
15 And
the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the
commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid
themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16 and
said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the
face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For
the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to
stand?” (Revelation
6:14-17)
This
period is the time of God’s wrath. The only precedents in history
to this time are the worldwide flood of Noah’s generation and the
destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Of course, this
event of God’s wrath will be the ultimate judgment of wickedness
and will certainly surpass those two prior events as named above. The
first time, destruction was by water. This time the destruction will
be by fire...Jesus made it clear in Matthew 24 that this is the
finale of judgment against the vileness of human sin.
OUR
GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE
The
Old Testament prophets wrote of this time period through Holy Spirit
inspiration when Isaiah wrote:
“Behold,
the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the
burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his
tongue as a devouring fire:
And
his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the
neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall
be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.
Ye
shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and
gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the
mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.
And
the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew
the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and
with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and
hailstones.”(Isaiah
30:27-30).
And
again Isaiah prophesied:
“Who
is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this
that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his
strength?
I
that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red
in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that for I will tread
them in mine anger and trample them in my fury; and their blood
shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my
raiment.
For
the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is
come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that
there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation
unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.
And
I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my
fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth” treadeth
in the wine fat?
I
have trodden the wine press alone; and of the people there was none
with me:”(Isaiah
63:1-6).
This
language has no connection with the tribulation that has been present
from the beginning of the Church Age, even up until now. God Almighty
will tread down evil mankind, as wine is pressed in a wine vat. God
will march through His creation and destroy those who have rejected
His mercy and His grace and have accepted the Mark of the Beast. His judgment will be for the rejection of his perfect judicial
opportunity for man's redemption and His cup of wrath will be full to
the brim of His righteous indignation for their lawlessness. God will
purify this earth from either end of the earth and back in man's
blood. God will wipe all rebellion and sinful men from this earth
leaving no one, but a remnant that He supernaturally protects from
the Anti-Christ. Many will be saved during this time, but for their
belief they will be killed in many terrible ways. The death and
destruction will be world- wide and the only ones that will live any
length of time, are the ones who take a mark of the Beast, and their
life will be short lived and will be doomed for all eternity and
separated into a devil's hell.
God
will judge the world because they rejected His Son and His ultimate
love to man. Jesus describes this judgment Himself,
“And
Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The
kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage
for his son,
And
sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding:
and they would not come.
Again,
he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden,
Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are
killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
But
they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another
to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated
them spitefully, and slew them.
But
when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his
armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city”
(Matthew 22:1-7).
If
you closely read scripture that describes the scene of God's
righteous indignation, then you get a glimpse of the carnage that
will be on this earth, when by calculation of the billions that live
on this earth right now...(estimated at over 7 billion people). 80%-90% will die in 7 short years, with the majority dying in the last 3.5
years, known as the Great Tribulation.
Can you even imagine close to
6 billion people dying in that short a time by untold acts of
violence and environmental disasters? I can't and I don't want to, as
I don't plan to be a witness to it for those years of man's complete
hell on earth.
When
the picture of this event Jesus called “The Great Tribulation” is
understood Biblically, then it bears no resemblance to the present
tribulation that all believers endure to some degree. The gas
chambers of Hitler were hell on earth and snuffed out millions of
lives. At least six million Christians died, along with six million
Jews. But this judgment to come is not the death of men to yet be
raised in resurrection to face God in judgment. This Tribulation is
the wrath of God Himself to which there are no claims of higher
appeal.
I
can't even imagine what the Jewish people went through as they were
systematically slaughtered and I hurt for them. But to have evil
rampant in this world that you will live in and have even God
Himself raining judgment down on the top of your head makes your life
very short and full of misery and pain. The environment will become
completely toxic with rivers and streams of blood, water becoming
bitter, people dying by the millions and billions until it finally
takes your own life, then I hope your imaginations can grasp the hell
on earth I'm describing.
GOD'S
WRATH IS AGAINST UNGODLY MEN
“For
we are not appointed to wrath, but to receive salvation through Jesus
Christ our Lord”. (1st Thessalonians 5:9)
“Because
thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to
try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)
To
those who are Pre-Tribulation rapture deniers, I ask you to show me
in your Bible where God's wrath comes against His servants who are
living for Him. Save yourself some trouble, as there are none. There
is no place in Scriptures that this day can be identified to affect
the Godly servant of the Lord. Whenever the First Testament
prophets spoke of judgment, they always showed that God provided a
haven for the righteous. Isaiah spoke of “a day of indignation.”
He clearly revealed the provision of the Lord for the saints,
“Thy
dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of
herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter
thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself
as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall
disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain” (Isaiah
26:19-21).
Scripture
after scripture in your Bible proves that God never, ever subjects
His chosen servants to His righteous wrath...and I mean NEVER.
Malachi made the same argument when he wrote how God provides for His
own:
“Then
they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD
hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before
him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I
make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own
son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the
righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that
serveth him not” (Malachi
3:16-18).
PRE
-TRIB DENIERS
I
have had individuals email me and chastise me for giving Christian's
a false hope, that when the Tribulation comes, they will not be
prepared. Let me explain something to those who scoff at the
scriptural sound doctrine of God removing His children from this
earth before the 1st seal of Revelation is broken and His wrath
is unleashed. Let us think logically here for a moment as I give you
a scenario and tell me what the answer is.
According
to our Bibles, Jesus will come and the dead in Christ will rise
first, at the last trump, and we who are alive and remain will join
those who have been raised to join them in the clouds...right?
(1st Thessalonians 4:15-17).
If
this happens at the end of the Tribulation, and Jesus returns to do
battle with those who are gathered in the valley of Megiddo and
destroys all rebellion on this earth, and all who have taken the mark
of the Beast, (as there will be no middle ground) will be destroyed,
then my question that I have proposed many times is, who will go into
the Millennium as mortal beings to repopulate the earth? See the
problem? The answer is NO one will be left mortal...the only doctrine
that makes sense of the return of Jesus Christ before the Tribulation
even starts, as those who survive the Tribulation are saints that
escaped the wrath of the Anti-Christ, or those God supernaturally
protected in the wilderness according to Revelation chapter 12:14-17
and they may be all Jewish. Those are the ones who go into the
Millennium alive and mortal to repopulate the earth. Now back to the
subject at hand, the horror of the coming Tribulation.
SEVEN
BOWLS OF THE WRATH OF GOD
If
the scenario that I have painted for you isn't bad enough, and if
you're a fence sitter and have not made a decision for Jesus Christ,
as Lord and Savior, then read Revelation chapter 16 if you really
want to get into a depressive state which describes:
grevious sores that cover men, much like running boils or cancers.
The sea is turned into blood, as that of a dead man, and everything dies.
All fresh water, streams, rivers, and fountains of waters become blood.
The sun becomes so hot, it scorches men with fire to burn men alive.
Darkness covers the land that cause men to gnaw their tongues in distress, as the darkness must be painful.
Rivers are dried up to allow the gathering of kings and men to
Armageddon for man's last stand against God Almighty.
7. Earthquakes, hailstones of 100 # weight called a talent weight, every mountain falling down flat, and islands sunk verse 18-21 of Revelation:
18 “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” (Revelation 16:18-21)
Are
you starting to get the picture? This earth will literally be hell on
earth, where mortal men will die by the millions daily, every day for
7 years. It will be a most ghastly and horrific time that my words
cannot even begin to address in any adjectives that conveys the
extreme pain and suffering that men will do to one another in their
evil ways, and a Holy God who will purge this earth of every sinful,
rebellious man and woman left alive on this earth. It will be near
total destruction that Jesus said, if it were allowed to continue to
its climax, “no flesh would be saved, but for the elect
(tribulation saints) the days would be shortened”. (Matthew 24:22)
God will rescue the last remaining humans alive to prevent man
totally destroying the righteous remnant left.
Now
some will say, “Hey, Pastor, are you trying to preach hell fire and
brimstone?”...my answer is yes, to a point. The intent is to get a
sane individual to weigh and think upon what I'm describing. No sane
individual that values their own mortal life would want to live
through what I'm describing briefly and live out its details in real
time. I really do hope I scare the “living daylights out of you”
or as some say tongue in cheek, “Scaring hell right out of of you”,
as that is what mankind left on this earth is headed for, hell on
earth. If I was living this horror that's coming, I would have prayed
someone would have scared me enough for me to think on my eternal
future. Are you thinking about it? What is the answer to avoid such a
horrible end of one's life? It's right in front of you, if you have
your bible in your lap..His name is Jesus!!
“For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him, should NOT perish, but have everlasting
life.
17,God
sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be save.” (John 3:16-17)
“Salvation
is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven
given to mankind by which we must be saved. (his name is Jesus)(Acts
4:12,)
“Who
has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to
us in Christ Jesus before time began,” (2nd Timothy
1:9)
“Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe
will be condemned.”(Mark 16:16,)
“For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: Lest any man should boast.”(Ephesians 2:8-9
)
God
our Father is long suffering not willing that any should perish, but
also is a Holy and just God that will repay those who have rejected
His free gift given in the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus
Christ. I will close with a scripture that identifies our God who is
a God of love, but a God of judgment when His righteous wrath finally
is poured out on this earth..and my friend, it is soon. Paul the
apostle echoes Isaiah when he spoke of God as a consuming fire:
“See
that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who
refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we
turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26:
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27:And
this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things
that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which
cannot be shaken may remain.
28:Wherefore
we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace,
whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly
fear:
29:
For our God is a consuming Fire”( Hebrews 12: 25-29)
I
pray I have shaken you, made you feel uncomfortable, and unsettled
your mind and spirit while in your refusal of the free gift of grace
given by God, because my friend, the coming Tribulation will be a
horror that I pray you miss out finding out about. Repent and turn to
Jesus while the time and chance is available this side of the
Tribulation. Jesus could come any moment and without warning.
This
is Pastor Mike Taylor, pleading for your acceptance of the free gift
of our Lord Jesus Christ and your salvation. If I can be of any
assistance, either in counseling, prayer, or just a friendly,
listening ear, drop me a line at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, God
bless you all,
TILL WE MEET AT JESUS
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