Events that will happen- in order
(1)The Church Age:
This is the time after Christ’s death on the cross but before the Rapture(2) of the church. It is the period of time when people can choose to be “saved” from their sins by accepting Christ as their Savior. When a person accepts Christ as their Savior the Holy Spirit comes to live within that person and they will go to heaven when they die. Acts 2:38, 13:52, Romans 5:5, John 3:5 If a person dies without the Holy Spirit they will go to Hell. John 6:63, Romans 8:2
(2)The Rapture:
When The Rapture happens it will put an end to the Church Age. The Rapture refers to the “catching up” of all the dead in Christ and God’s children on the earth by Jesus in the twinkling of an eye. The Rapture can happen anytime during normal activities. To those left behind it will look like people disappeared from earth. Matthew 24:40, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:2, Rev 3:10, Matt 24:32-37, 24:44 NOTE: The Rapture is future to me at the time of this writing
(3)The Time Between – the Rapture and the Tribulation:
There will be a period of time after the Rapture but before the Tribulation begins. This will be a time when an evil leader, called the “antichrist” by many Bible scholars, and the antichrist’s organization will be coming to power. The Bible doesn’t tell us how long this period of time will be. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Daniel 7:8, 7:20, 7:24-25, 8:9-10, 8:23-25
(4)The 7 year Tribulation:
The Tribulation is a 7 year time span when God will pour out His wrath on the earth. We are told in the Bible the Tribulation begins with the signing of an agreement between the antichrist’s organization and “many”. Keep your eyes open for this agreement to be signed if you are reading this after the rapture. This is important because the signing of the agreement starts the seven year clock ticking for the tribulation to start. Daniel 9:27, Rev chapter 6-12, 6:17
It’s my understanding from scripture that people WILL be able to accept Christ as their savior until the very end of the Tribulation. Rev 14:6-7. But there will come a time when God will close the book of life forever. Rev 19:20-21 But if a person decides to accept Christ during the Tribulation they will probably be tortured and killed; so it would be much wiser to accept Christ during the Church age if possible. Daniel 8:23-25, Matthew 24:15-22
(5) Mid-Tribulation:
The last half of the seven year tribulation will be much worse than the first half. The “abomination of desolation” is when the evil organization places something abominable in the future temple (or altar). Jesus tells us when a person sees this abomination happen anyone in Judea should flee to the wilderness because then there will be a “great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”. This will be about midway through the tribulation. Daniel 9:27, (in Daniel 9:27, the context, a “week” relates to the seven year Tribulation) Matt 24:15-22, Daniel 12:11
There will be a time at the end of the Tribulation when the Book of Life will be closed and people will no longer have the opportunity to accept Christ as their savior and be saved. Revelation 14:14-20.
(6)The Return of Christ:
When the seven years are finished, Christ will return to earth to put an end to the Tribulation. Christ will bring the saints that were taken at the Rapture back as an army with Him to earth. Rev 19:11-16
(7)Armageddon:
is the the war that will happen as soon as Christ returns. Christ will cast the evil organization (called the beast in the Bible) and the false prophet into a lake of fire. Satan will be cast into a bottomless pit for 1000 years. Rev 16:16-21, 19:15-21, Rev 20:1-3
(8)The Millennium:
The Millennium is the 1000 year period of time during which those people that were saved during the Tribulation and still alive at the beginning of the Millennium will populate the earth. Rev 20:4-8
Satan will remain in the bottomless pit and not tempt the people on the earth during this time. Rev 20:1-3 The people that were taken at the Rapture along with those people that were saved and
died during the Tribulation will hold positions of priests. Rev 20:4
(9) The End of the Millennium:
At the end of the 1000 year Millennium Satan will be loosed to deceive the nations. Many children born during the Millennium will be deceived but many will have been saved. Satan is then cast into the lake of fire forever. The unbelieving dead will stand before God and will be judged at the White Throne judgment. Rev 20:7-9, 20:10, 20:11-15
(10) And then….eternity future begins…
God will bring down a new heaven, a new earth and a New Jerusalem for His children. Read about this glorious occasion in Revelation 21-22.
