Part 21

 What Are the Next "Things to Come"?

"Eschatology" is defined as the study of "things to come as relating to the ultimate destiny of mankind and world as we know it." This entire series has been eschatological, examining not only the Rapture but all the key events to come, as best we can see by closely examining both the Old and New Testaments. In this installment I offer a sequential timeline of the "things to come" as I currently see it. In the next installment I will offer a further "Explanation of Things to Come."

So what does the Bible tell us about the things that are to come after the Rapture?

God has withheld His wrath even while man has long-declared war on God. Rather, God freely offers all mankind full salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We've already well established that the Rapture of “the church, which His body” is imminent. After the Rapture of the church occurs, the long-prophesied seven-year Tribulation judgments will come upon the world, setting the stage for the Lord Jesus' 2nd coming to earth to establish His kingdom.

The Psalm 83/Isaiah 17 war is also imminent. Regarding this soon coming war, Isaiah 17:1 says Syria ’s capital, Damascus , will "be a ruinous heap." The events of our day certainly indicate this could occur very soon. Both the Rapture and Psalm 83 war will occur sooner rather than later, but it’s not entirely clear to me whether the Psalm 83/Isaiah 17 war is before the Rapture or after the Rapture of “the church which His body.”

Then the Gog & Magog War of Eze. 38-39 will occur, but only after both the Rapture and Psalm 83 War have occurred. These three events will occur before the Tribulation. In the Gog & Magog War a Russian and Iranian led coalition will attack Israel while Israel will be at that time militarily secure, then dwelling “safely…without walls” (Eze 38:11, 14). Israel will be seemingly secure at the time of this attack because Israel will have attained regional superiority over its immediate neighbor states as result of its God-given triumph in the earlier Psalm 83 War. I will expand on this in the next installment of this series.

In all, three wars will follow the Psalm 83 War. All three will occur after the Rapture. 1) The “War of Gog and Magog” will occur just before the Tribulation. 2) The following war, Armageddon, will occur is at the end of the Tribulation. 3) A final brief war will occur when Satan is loosed at the end of the Millennium.

Below is the order of the soon coming end-time events, as I see it. I’m quite certain that all these wars and events listed below, except possibly the Psalm 83/Isaiah 17 War, will occur after the Rapture of “the church, which is the body of Christ,” but I will list the Rapture as being first to come.

1.             Rapture of the “church, His body” to dwell eternally in heaven (1Thes 4:13-18, 1Cor 15:51-58, 2Cor 5:1).

2.             The “Psalm 83 War” will result in Israel growing territorially by victoriously subjugating most of the “inner ring” of its surrounding Arab neighbors ( Syria , Gaza , Lebanon , Jordan ; etc (cf., Psa 83, Isa 17).

3.             The “War of Gog and Magog” (Ezek. 38-39) - In this war the more remote Arab nations, led by Russia and Iran , will come against Israel and set the stage for the Tribulation. God will intervene to smash Israel 's largely Muslim attackers (Ezek 38:18-23), as He will in the earlier “Psalm 83 War.”

4.             Then the Tribulation begins when Israel signs a security covenant with Antichrist (Dan 9:27).

5.            After 3-1/2 years of the Tribulation, Antichrist will reveal himself when he as " ³that man of sin be revealed... ⁴ who... exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God , shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

6.            The “ Battle of Armageddon” will end the Tribulation. Russia , among ALL the nations of the earth, including the “kings of the east, ( China )” will rebel against Antichrist's rule and the Lord's Israel .

7.            Then the Lord will return to rescue Israel and set up His Millennial Kingdom (Rev 16:12-16).

8.            In the course of "the end of the world (Gk., aion, current age)" (Mat 13:39) the "Wheat and Tares" will be harvested (cut down). The Lord's angels will harvest out and "burn" the religious “tares,” (the imposters); "out" keeping them from "His Kingdom" (Matt 13:41). The “wheat,” the believing martyrs, will be gathered to the Lord’s “barn” (Matt 13:30, apotheke, repository, i.e., paradise), awaiting the Kingdom.

9.            Antichrist and the False Prophet are then “cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:10)

10.        The Sheep and Goats of the "Nations" (Gk. ethnos, "the Gentiles") who survive the Tribulation are judged by Jesus Himself at the beginning of the Millennium (Matt. 25:31-46). Only Gentiles who believed to help Israel (Matt 25:34-40) are saved and blessed to enter the Millennial Kingdom (v34).

11.        Satan is “bound a thousand years” (Rev 20:2-3).

12.        The current earth will become "renewed" (“New Earth" (New, Gk., kainos, refreshed)” (Rev 21:1-8).

13.        The city "New Jerusalem" appears “coming down from God out of heaven” to the New Earth (Rev 21:2).

“The Bride,” the “Lamb’s wife,” is seen in the Holy City New Jerusalem (Rev 21:10). Access to the city New Jerusalem’s “River of life” and “Tree of life” on the New Earth will be available to all believers for their healing restoration. “he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations (Gentiles)." (Rev 22:1-2)

14.        The Temple within the City will be restricted to the co-reigning resurrected saints of Israel as His kings, priests and servants (cf., Rev 5:10, 20:6; 21:8). They will reign, preach, teach, and lead all men on the New Jerusalem (cf., Zech 8:23, Micah 4:1-2).

15.        Satan will be “loosed” after 1,000 years (Rev 20:7). He will stir the newborn unbelievers of the Millennium to the final war. This Millennium will end when ALL the rebellious attackers are destroyed; “fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them,” (Rev 20:7-9).

16.        Satan is “cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:10). His job as the adversary is ended.

17.        “The Great White Throne” judgment immediately follows. ALL the lost dead of ALL ages will be resurrected from Hades to “stand” before the “Great White Throne” to be judged (Rev. 20:11-15).

18.        At the “Great White Throne” judgment ALL who appear before the Throne to be judged by the Lord will find that their names are “not found written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev 20:12). They will be “cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14) and experience "the second death" of Rev 20:6.

19.        Death and Hell (Hades) are “cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14)

20.        All the living believers of the Millennium, and the co-reigning resurrected saints of Israel , will go on to enter Eternal Kingdom on the New Earth. In the Tribulation the curse will have only partially been removed; in the Eternal Kingdom it will be fully removed (Isa 11:1-9).

"³ And THERE SHALL BE NO MORE CURSE: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants (the 1st resurrection believers of Israel , c.f., Rev 20:6) shall serve him: ⁴ And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads (minds). ⁵ And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5)

Then "the earth" will have become "filled with the glory (expression) of the Lord (Num 14:21)." All the earth's people will be in full accord with the sovereign rule of the Lord Jesus Christ, being eternally blessed with His indwelling Spirit of life (Eze 37:14) and also the "light" of His literal presence.

“That In The Dispensation Of The Fulness Of Times he might gather together in one all things In Christ, both which are In Heaven, And Which Are On Earth; even In Him: (Ephesians 1:10)

In the next installment we will examine the Scriptures and fill in the details necessary to understand and explain many of these coming events in yet more detail.