The End May Be Much Than Nearer Than We Think

Chapter 4. Answers About The Tribulation {114 words}

One of the questions that had puzzled me when I first studied the Book of Revelation was that I failed to understand how the Tribulation started. I am certainly aware of the many latter day references in the Bible, but I was surprised when the Book of Revelation could not add any new information about or even make any mention of the beginning of the Tribulation. Now, after having studied about the Theory of Evolution, I feel confident that I know more about how the Tribulation will begin. I also believe that many of the other difficult-to-understand portions of this time period can now be seen more clearly.

In previous sections of this text, I have stated that the Theory of Evolution gives people, like you and me, the false impression that they are evolving into or that they have evolved into gods. I have also shown in the four separate instances of Lucifer, Adam and Eve, the people of Noah's time, and the people at Babel that whenever God's creations try to make themselves as gods that they bring God's wrath upon themselves. I believe very simply that the only conclusion to be drawn from these cases is that the Theory of Evolution along with every other device in our society which teaches man that he can be as a god will bring God to a point of such fierce anger that He will rapture the Church out of this world and allow the Tribulation to begin.

For many years, people have argued about the Rapture of the Church. Some believe that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation, some believe that it will occur midway through the Tribulation, and some people believe that it will occur at the end of the Tribulation. Whole denominations have been born and others split by the various beliefs about this critically important event. But I have never had any problem accepting that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation. There are several verses in the New Testament which should cause Christians to believe that the Rapture is a pre-Tribulation event. However, many still do not believe, so I hope now to eliminate some of the confusion that exists about the Rapture.

In thinking about the Rapture of the Church, I think that it is significant for us to recognize the Church not as an enemy of God but rather as the Bride of Jesus Christ. We who make up the Church are the ones who have received Christ into our hearts, and we are the ones who look to spend eternity with Him. In each of the four Bible accounts that we studied, not once did we observe the destruction of the innocent. Those who were punished had not received God but had rejected Him and had made themselves to be His enemies. In heaven, during the first battle between God and the devil, Lucifer and his angels were the only ones who were guilty, and they were the only ones who were punished. We do not read of any good angels being cast to the earth as a result of Lucifer's attack on God. In the Garden of Eden, only the guilty and the rebellious were judged and punished. During Noah's time, not only were the guilty punished, but clearly, we see that the few who were innocent were spared. And at Babel, Nimrod led a worldwide revolt against God, and again, only the guilty were punished. Concerning the Rapture of the Church, we need to realize that the pattern has been set for God's dealing with the innocent, and it will not be altered for the Tribulation.

During other periods of history, we have observed the unjust persecution of the innocent. We all know about the senseless persecution of the early Church, we all know that many of the prophets of God were slain, and we all know that innocent men, like Daniel, have been forced into captivity. But these examples of the sufferings of the innocent must not be confused with the four cases which we have discussed because they are not of the same type as the head-to-head confrontations between God and the devil. In the head-to-head confrontations between God and the devil, it is as though God had taken special precaution to remove the innocent from the battle area so that they would not be harmed, and with that being the pattern, He will do so again.

Evidence suggests that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation, and right after the Rapture, the Antichrist will rise to power. When the Antichrist comes onto the scene, I do not think much can be said about his age. He may be a young man, or he may be old, but one thing is certain! He will claim to be as a god. I have always thought that the Antichrist would be the devil incarnate just as Jesus was God incarnate. But now, to add to that old thinking, I also believe that when the Antichrist is revealed that he will claim to be the "evolved" god. I do not think that the Antichrist will call himself Jesus, the Christ, because the world is not looking for or hoping for Jesus. If the Antichrist claimed to be Jesus, then he would probably be rejected more quickly today than Jesus was two thousand ago. But if he claimed to be the "evolved" god, a product of mankind, then he would probably have the praise and the worship of an evolution-believing world. It makes more sense to me that a people who want to be as gods would worship a person whom they believed to be the "evolved" god than to think that those same people, who want no part in God, would worship the one who claims to be the Son of God.

If the Antichrist claims to be the "evolved" god and receives the worship of those people who have been deceived by the Theory of Evolution, then it is not difficult to understand what follows. In the chapters of Revelation which follow the Antichrist's entrance, we read about the seals of judgment (Chapter Six), about the seven trumpets (Chapters Eight and Nine), and about the seven vials (Chapter Sixteen). These clear acts of aggression upon the world and its inhabitants will be performed by Jesus and the heavenly angels. If we think back to Chapter One of this text and the discussion about the Preterist View for interpreting the Book of Revelation, I pointed out at that time that this view did not make sense for the early Church because Jesus would never persecute His own Bride so mercilessly. However, if we consider that the victims of this persecution are those who have rejected the Son of God and have accepted the so-called "evolved" god, then God's anger is much more understandable. Remember from Chapter Three of this text that we tried to show how the devil has used mankind in his head-to-head struggles with God. The Tribulation will be number six, and the events which we have read about in the Book of Revelation fit the same pattern as those that were seen in the Books of Genesis and Isaiah. The devil attacks, and God defends; worldwide anarchy followed by worldwide destruction, and it is probably about to happen again very soon.

In Chapter Thirteen, we read about the persecution brought on by the Antichrist. Even this is consistent with the military dictatorships that have sprung up all over the worlds. I am not trying to suggest that any of these regimes of violence have anything to do with the Tribulation, but it is important for us to notice that violence and force are frequently associated with gaining power. The Antichrist will accept what power is given, but he will take by force that which is not given. Fortunately, there will not be much resistance to his rule because most people will have been deceived. Remember that all of this is being energized by the devil as he uses the Theory of Evolution to persuade us that we can be as gods, and also notice that we have yet to mention Israel. I believe that many people are looking for the wrong sign when they warn us to keep our eyes on Israel. For sure, Israel will play a part, but it will not be in these early days of the Tribulation.

When I first studied the Book of Revelation, I had difficulty understanding the identity of the woman in Chapter Seventeen. I pointed out in Chapter One of this text that searching for her identity was the main motivation in causing me to examine these other things, and now, I think that I can say who she is. If we think about the Antichrist as the one who claims to be the "evolved" god, it is easy to understand how he might get the backing of the ten kings that we read about in Chapter Seventeen. Remembering that the Antichrist is only the devil in flesh and that these kings think that he is the "evolved" god, we watch as they are led into a battle against Jesus (Revelation, Chapter seventeen and Verse Fourteen).

This battle like each time before clearly shows the same spirit of rebellion that was present in heaven when Lucifer tried to dethrone God, that was present in the Garden of Eden, in Noah's time, and at Babel. And this time, as always, it is no contest. God wins a resounding victory! The pattern is the same as we have observed in each of the previous conflicts between God and the devil. But, for a moment, forget about the pattern of the struggles and about the ten kings who have lost in their battle. They now know that they have been deceived by the Antichrist. They now know that he is not the "evolved" god, and they can now see through his facade of divinity.

In the latter part of Chapter Seventeen, we see the woman rejected, made naked, and humiliated. I believe that this woman is the spirit of Evolution or the spirit of evil that causes the world, and specifically these ten kings, to see the Antichrist as the "evolved" god. Right after the Antichrist leads them into defeat in their battle against Jesus, these kings will recognize that the Theory of Evolution is a lie. They will look the Antichrist in the eye, as it were, declare that he is a liar, and tell him that he is not the "evolved" god whom he claims to be. The Theory of Evolution will be exposed as a lie, made naked, and rejected, and the Antichrist's kingdom will be in danger of collapse. The devil will realize that once again he has failed in his attempt to "be like the most High," and this is where Israel becomes involved.

The key to Israel's involvement is seen in Chapter Twelve of the Revelation where we read about another woman. This woman in Chapter Twelve represents the nation Israel, as can be seen by the birth of the son in verse five and throughout the chapter where we read of a conflict between her and the dragon. Quite simply, what will happen during the Tribulation is that the Antichrist will suffer another humiliating defeat to God. When he has lost his support from the ten kings, he will become furious, and he will retaliate against the most obvious target - Israel! Israel will be the natural route of aggression because the Antichrist knows that Israel is God's beloved nation. He also knows that Israel is responsible for the birth of Jesus, his own Conqueror. However, when the Antichrist gathers all of his remaining forces and goes against Israel, God will see what the Antichrist is about to do, and He will personally send Jesus to the earth to stop the Antichrist and place him in the bottomless pit. The battle will be won, and the sixth head-to-head confrontation between God and the devil will be over.

After the Battle of Armageddon when Jesus will protect Israel from the Antichrist and after the Devil is placed in the bottomless pit, Jesus will set up His Millennial Kingdom and rule in peace for one thousand years. However, when the thousand years are ended, there will be one final confrontation between God and the devil. The last battle, in Revelation, Chapter Nineteen, will be number seven, God's perfect number, and the devil will be defeated for the last time. The natural conclusion to all of these battles between God and the devil is that the devil and his supporters will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone to suffer forever and ever.

Next, in Revelation, Chapter Twenty, we read about a new heaven and about a new earth. It is significant to note that after every confrontation between God and the devil, except at Calvary, that the living conditions were immediately changed. After the devil attacked God in heaven, he was cast to a new environment on earth. After Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they were cast from the Garden and into a new environment. After the Flood, the environment on earth was changed. After the Tower of Babel incident, the people's language and location were changed, and they, too, had a new environment with which to contend. After the Battle of Armageddon, Jesus will establish His Millennial Kingdom and the earth will be in an environment of peace, still a new environment. And finally, after the last battle with the devil, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. We should not be alarmed or surprised by such things, but we should realize that the fierceness of these battles between God and the devil is so great that they dramatically affect the environment in which we live.

In closing, I need to say that I have entitled this work as I did because I feel that we need to be very much aware of just how much is going on right under our noses. I will admit that before the Holy Spirit revealed these things to me about the Theory of Evolution and the Tribulation that I had never really thought very much about a connection between the two. But now, I am certain that these things are significant and that we must take notice. I know that we will never stop the trend of our society to oppose God, so we must use our time wisely and prepare ourselves and our families against the inevitable future. We must turn to the Lord while there is still time. Many people are skeptical about the Rapture, about the Tribulation, and about heaven and hell, but as the time of these events draws closer, God will reveal to His people more and more about how they will happen. Truly, the end may be much nearer than we think.