“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
We are in turbulent times: war, fire, death, disease, and corruption. However, you should not fear because our Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who suffered and died on the cross for all our sins, will return from Heaven and save His followers and faithful believers from destruction and the depths of hell.
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." - Matthew 24:6-8.
The Second Coming of Christ will be personal, visible, and glorious. The entire earth, nation to nation, will see Jesus and hear His voice (Rev 1:7). We should all be constantly watching, praying and preparing for this day.
Jesus will establish His kingdom on earth, but before he does, He will come for his people (Church). At the time of His second coming, the dead in Christ along with the living Christians, will rise to meet our Lord and Savior in the air and be with Him forever. This is called and known as the “Rapture” (1 Corinthians 15:51 - 54).
During this resurrection, those who died in Christ will have their redeemed souls and spirits united with a body like Jesus’ glorified body (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Faithful Christians alive at the time of this miraculous event will not die but will have their bodies changed to be like Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 1 John 3:2).
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." - Matthew 24:12-13.
Let this much expected and Holy Event be a motivation for holy living as well as a source of comfort (1 John 2:28, 1 Thessalonians 4:18). Many will try to deceive you by saying when this day will occur, but make no mistake or error, because no man knows the day or the hour when this will take place (Matthew 24:36, John 6:39). Not even Jesus Himself knew. Only our Father in Heaven knows when this event will take place so beware of false prophets! (Matthew 24:5).
Following the Rapture of the Church, Christians will be brought before the seat of Christ for judgement (Romans 14:10-12, 2 Corinthians 5:10). Jesus will reward His followers based on their accomplished works (Matthew 16:27). This should not be confused with a judgement to determine their salvation but a reward for their labor on Jesus’ behalf.
The Rapture will also be an inauguration period that the Bible states as “the great tribulation,” the “great day of His wrath,” and the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Revelation 6:17, Matthew 24:21). This unprecedented and difficult time will affect Israel and all nations. The purpose will be to prepare Israel for its Messiah (Zechariah 12:2; Ch. 3; 14:1-3).
At the end of the great tribulation, Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, will return to earth with the host of Heaven and His Church to establish the Messianic Kingdom (Rev. 19-7-9, Ch. 14; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Zechariah 14:9; Rev. 19:15, Ch. 16.). His kingdom will last for a thousand years. During the Second Coming of Christ, the Antichrist will be cast into the Lake of Fire and Satan will be bound for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2, Ch. 4-6; Rev. 19:20; 20:1-3).
All nations along with their representatives will be judged (Joel 3, Matthew 25). Israel will be restored her land and never removed again (Amos 9:15; Ezekiel 34:28). Jesus will reign with firmness and equity (Psalm 2:9, Isaiah 11:4) and His kingdom shall be marked by spiritual and material blessing because the curse upon the earth shall be removed (Romans 8:19-21).
The kingdom of Christ will close with apostasy and rebellion (Rev. 20:7-9). God will destroy this uprising in the last battle of the ages and Satan will be thrown into a lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). Everyone who rejected the word of God will be resurrected (Rev. 20:11-13). They will be judged by Jesus Christ and thrown into the lake of fire where they will suffer their final and everlasting punishment (Rev.20:14, Ch. 15; Mark 9:48).
After this judgement, there will be a new Heaven and a New Earth where righteousness is the norm (2 Peter 3:13). There will be a new Jerusalem and the everlasting presence of God will be among all the redeemed (Rev. 21:2, Ch. 3, Ch. 2:3-5).
The Mark of the Beast, an Unforgivable Sin!
The Holy Word of God tells us that during the end of times, a beast will appear and force the inhabitants still living here on the earth to worship it and to receive a mark either on their foreheads or on their right hands. You will not be able to buy anything or sell.
"It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive the mark on their right hands or foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark..." (Revelation 13:16-17).
However, God has warned us NOT to receive this mark. Even if it means death. It is better to die in Christ so you can rise in Christ!
This is God's warning: " A third Angel followed them and said in a loud voice: 'If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of His wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the Holy Angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.' This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep His commands and remain faithful to Jesus." (Revelation 14:9-12).
As you can see, worshipping this beast or its image and receiving the mark is an unforgivable sin. The Bible tells us that this will be a time to be courageous and for all believers to stand firm until the end: "...To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice majic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:6-8).
The Bible also says: "...Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." (Revelation 14:13).
Jesus lives! And He will come again to judge both the living and the dead. Repent and make way for our Lord and Savior. Get your house in order and repent for there is peace in Jesus Christ!
"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." - Revelation 22:12-13.
