How do you understand 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17? Does it tell us that the dead in Christ will rise first and that sometime afterwards, those in Christ who are still alive will be changed?

Let us notice this passage in context. We read, beginning with 1 Thessalonians 4:13:

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope… God will bring with Him [Jesus] those who sleep in Jesus… we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means PRECEDE those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up TOGETHER WITH THEM in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Paul addresses the same topic in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, where he speaks of “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him.” Particularly focusing on those who have fallen asleep in Christ, as well as those in Christ who will still be alive at the time of Christ’s return, he says in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall ALL be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

From the foregoing, we see that those who died in Christ will be raised incorruptible. They will not be raised in a physical state and then be changed afterwards. Rather, their resurrection will be one to immortality. We also read that those true Christians who are alive when Christ returns will be changed instantly into immortality as well, and both—those who were resurrected to immortality, and those who were changed to immortality—will “be caught up” in the clouds to meet the returning Jesus Christ in the air. They will then together descend to the Mount of Olives, as other Scriptures show (Q&A).

We read that the change of those in Christ who are still alive will not PRECEDE the resurrection of Christians who died (In passing, this fact, all by itself, disproves the theory of the “secret” rapture.)  But do the Scriptures tell us that the resurrection of the Christians who fell asleep will PRECEDE the change of those Christians who are alive when Christ returns? If so, the time difference between the resurrection and the change would have to be extremely short, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that at the time of the last trumpet, ALL – the dead and those still alive—will be changed, and that in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Lets’ read it again: “We shall not all sleep (some will still be alive when Christ returns), but we shall ALL be changed (that is, the dead will be resurrected incorruptible, and those alive in Christ will be changed to incorruptibility).” And when is all of this to occur? “… in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”

Some commentaries propose the idea that those in Christ who died and who will be resurrected, will precede those in Christ who will be still alive when Christ returns.

For instance, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says:

“Shall rise first – That is, before the living shall be changed. A doctrine similar to this was held by the Jews. ‘Resch Lachisch said, Those who die in the land of Israel shall rise first in the days of the Messiah.’.. It is implied in all this description, that the interval between their resurrection and the change which will occur to the living, will be brief, or that the one will rapidly succeed the other…”

Of course, that “Jewish doctrine” has no support in Scripture. All who have died in Christ will be resurrected at the same time—no matter where they died.

We also read in the People’s New Testament:

“The dead in Christ shall rise first. Before the living are gathered, all the saints who slept in Christ shall be gathered around him. In the final day, the first act is the gathering of the departed saints; the next, the gathering of the living saints.”

A similar explanation is given in Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary:

“The dead in Christ shall rise first (v. 16), before those who are found alive at Christ’s coming shall be changed; and so it appears that those who shall then be found alive shall not prevent those that are asleep…”

But is this really what the Scriptures want to tell us?

Vincent’s Word Studies prefers the concept that 1 Thessalonians 4 is “apparently not intended to include the specific details which follow. In that word the revelation was to the effect that all believers simultaneously should share the blessings of the advent. The following description of the Lord’s descent from heaven is intended to emphasize the fact that the reunion of dead and living believers will be accomplished by the Lord in person.”

Still, the Scripture says that those who died in Christ will rise FIRST.

Gill’s Exposition on the Entire the Bible states that those who died in Christ “will rise ‘first’, before the wicked, which is the first resurrection, Revelation 20:5, even a thousand years before them; the righteous will rise in the morning of the resurrection, and so will have the dominion in the morning, Psalm 49:14, even at the beginning of the thousand years, as soon as Christ will come; but the wicked will not rise till the evening of that day, or till the close of the thousand years: and this agrees with the notions of the Jews, who thought that some will rise before other…”

Of course, if by wicked, one means those who have committed the unpardonable sin, then they will not rise until after the Millennium or 1,000 years and after the Great White Throne Judgment (which may last about 100 years). That is, they will rise in a third resurrection (Q&A). But it is true that those who died in Christ will rise first, when Christ returns, and that all those who did not die in Christ, without having committed the unpardonable sin, will rise 1,000 years later, in the second resurrection of the Great White Throne Judgment period.

The Bible confirms that some will rise FIRST, and others will rise later. Notice Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end…”

Revelation 20:4-6 states:

“… then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God… And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the FIRST resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the FIRST resurrection. Over such the second death has no power…”

Even though some reject the idea that Paul makes reference to the first resurrection in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, when speaking about those who will be resurrected FIRST (compare Jamieson, Fausset and Brown), it appears that this may be what Paul was trying to convey–that only those who died in Christ as well as those in Christ who will be alive will be raised and changed to immortality, to be caught up together to meet Christ. In other words, Paul, who was wanting to give hope, told the brethren that they did not need to sorrow, because all of those who died in Christ and all of those in Christ still alive when Christ returns, will be united again in immortality.

Note how Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, renders the phrase in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “Those who have died in Christ will be the first one to rise, and then we who are still living on the earth will be swept up with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air….”

If, on the other hand, Paul’s intention was to convey that the dead in Christ will rise before the living Christians will be changed, then the time difference between those two events would have to be extremely short; that is, less than the time it would take for an eye to twinkle.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

A new member letter was written and will be posted and sent out shortly. In the letter, Dave Harris discusses the role of true Christians in this evil word.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “Martial Law in America?” President Obama signed the new NDAA bill with great reservations, assuring us that it will not be applied in an unconstitutional way. But how sure can we be of this? The Huffington Post is not impressed, and neither is Fox News. Ron Paul feels the bill begins the official establishment of martial law in the USA, and his son, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, warns that under the new law, just about anyone could be viewed as a terrorist suspect. What does the Bible have to say about these frightening developments?

Three more radio programs have been recorded, titled, “The Seventh Seal,” “The Seventh Seal, Part 2,” and “The Seven Bowls.” They will be broadcast, respectively, beginning Sunday, January 22, January 29, and February 5, 2012. Our radio broadcasts are being posted on our Website, www.standingwatch.org.

A new German AufPostenStehen program  was posted on YouTube and on our German website, www.aufpostenstehen.de  titled, “Schandhafte US Anti-Terror Gesetze” (“Shameful US Anti-Terror Laws”). It has by now received in excess of 3,500 views.

A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, and on our German website, www.aufpostenstehen.de, titled, “Das Tier und der falsche Prophet” (“The Beast and the False Prophet”).

Our new German booklet, “Die Taufe—Voraussetzung fuer das Heil?” (“Baptism-A Requirement for Salvation?”) was posted on our German website.

Is the true Church of God a Sect?

A “sect” may be defined as “a body of persons agreed upon religious doctrines usually different from those of an established or orthodox church from which they have separated; non-conformist or other church as described by opponents.”
 
The terms “cult” and “sect” are often used interchangeably; a sect is usually connected with religion and a cult may be – but many things outside the religious arena can also be classified as cultish. Certain television programmes may have a cult following – never a sect following.
 
Very often, using the term “sect” or “cult” is an epithet – a term of derision, a put down, an insult or a way of dismissing others. A former leader of the Worldwide Church of God, Joseph Tkach Sr., stated repeatedly that he did not like to be called the leader of a cult—hence his desire to change doctrines to bring them more in line with orthodox Christianity. To call an organization a sect or a cult is how some deride or undermine, in their own eyes, another group, which could include the Church of God. And what term or terms so easily fall off the tongue by those who want to accuse the Church of God of not being true to mainstream Christianity? Their description can be scathing, often using the term “sect” or “cult”.
 
It is interesting that those who criticise the Church of God for not being faithful to Scripture are the very ones who break Scripture so often!   So many in mainstream Christianity spawn homosexual priests or clergy – an act which God calls an abomination and which is mentioned, as such, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. But they accept it in spite of this being contrary to Scriptural admonition. The Bible is quite clear that women are not to speak – in a teaching capacity – in church, but again so many in mainstream Christianity allow and promote women priests and vicars. There have been ministers who don’t believe in God. One high ranking bishop in the Church of England thought that the resurrection was a “conjuring trick with bones”. There are those who know that Christmas and Easter are of pagan origin and still keep these feasts. There have been vicars who have advocated stealing in certain circumstances, and most churches trample all over the seventh day Sabbath.
 
Some years ago, “The New Christian Herald”, a newspaper published in Sussex, England, (which ceased publication in 2006) ran an article about the Worldwide Church of God. The article was headed “Back to the Plain Truth?” The paper stated that “the writer [of the article] charts the progress of a rare phenomenon – a cult making its way back into mainstream Christianity. The Worldwide Church of God’s journey makes intriguing reading…”
 
This “expert” then went on to give nine distinguishing points that define a sect or cult. Of course, other “experts” might agree with this assessment or have a different perspective, but for the purpose of this answer we will stay with the considered opinion of this “expert”. These nine distinguishing points were as follows: World rejecting, not world embracing; Clear strong leadership [depending on the degree of leadership, a group might be called a sect or a cult]; A high degree of commitment needed; Active “lay” participation; A strong sense of mission and purpose; A strong sense of belonging; Definite entrance to membership by personal faith, not by birth; Beliefs shape lifestyle; and Members often belong to the working class and identify with the poor and disinherited.
 
Let Scripture and some brief comments answer these points, and we will see that the “expert” was clearly deficient in his Biblical knowledge.

1)  World rejecting, not world embracing. 

Are we to embrace the world?

James 4:4 states: “Adulterers and adulteresses!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?   Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
 
James 1:27 states: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
 
As is stated in our booklet, “The Book of Zechariah – Prophecies For Today”: 

“God’s true servants must be sober and of a sound mind, resisting the temptation of wanting to belong to and befriend the people of this world—this Babylonian system—in order to follow their bad example.”
 
2)   Clear strong leadership.
 
God has always had strong leaders. God used Abraham, Joshua, Moses, Gideon, Elijah, Elisha amongst many others in the Old Testament and Peter, Paul and the other apostles were strong leaders in the New Testament.
 
Hebrews 13: 17 says (this is a variation of a command in verse 7): “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
 
Strong leaders and leadership in the church are a necessity!
 
3)   A high degree of commitment
 
A high degree of commitment is vital because for those whom God has called to salvation in this day and age, today is their only opportunity to qualify for eternal life. We have to be committed to the cause.
 
1 John 3: 16 points out:  “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
 
James 1: 22-24 adds:  “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
 
4)   Active “lay” participation
 
We all have to play our part as God has put us in the Body of Christ, as He sees fit. We cannot just be passive bystanders.
 
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 refers to active member participation: “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:  On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”
 
5)   A strong sense of mission and purpose.
 
Again, such a strong sense is absolutely necessary.
 
Matthew 28:18-20 states:  “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
 
Ezekiel 33:7-9 adds: “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.  When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.  Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.”
 
6)   A strong sense of belonging
 
In Acts 2: 1-4 we see that the future members of the early New Testament Church, even before their conversion, were in the same place, of the same mind and had a sense of belonging:
 
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
 
This attitude did not change after their conversion. We read in Acts 4:32: “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”
 
7)   Definite entrance to membership by personal faith, not by birth.
 
However, John 6:44 says:  “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
 
John 6:65 adds:  “And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’”
 
Acts 2:38 reports:  “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
 
8)   Beliefs shape lifestyle. 
 
We understand that our calling is a calling to a way of life. Our beliefs MUST shape our lifestyle – it can’t be any other way. Christianity is about the way that we behave, the way that we treat other people, esteeming others better than self and practicing the golden rule of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us. It is also about being service orientated, having a kindly attitude, displaying the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 and behaving as Christ would do.
 
Acts 9:2 refers to true Christianity as “the Way.”
 
We also read in Acts 19:23:  “And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.”
 
9)   Members are often working class and identify with the poor and disinherited.
 
But note 1 Corinthians 1:26-28:  “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.”
 
1 Corinthians 4:10-12 adds:  “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure…”
 
Perhaps a look at the ministry of Jesus Christ will show that He ministered to the poor and disinherited – and we are to follow His example.
 
And so, is the Church of God a sect or a cult? Based on these nine marks as this “expert” names them, and according to their definition, the answer that the world might give could be Yes. In this regard, Acts 24:5 is highly instructive: “For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.”
 
In Acts 28:22-24 we read another reference on this topic: “But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere. So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.”
 
It appears that the original, apostolic church was called a sect. And when Christ was on earth, He was at odds with the establishment. They didn’t believe Him then, and the majority do not believe Him now. 
 
Of course, there will always be those who want to put a label on the true Church of God, and there will always be those who think that the Church should be lumped together with other non-conformist groups as they see it, simply because of non-conformity with mainstream Christianity. There will always be those who want to think the worst.
 
The apostolic church was called a sect. The true Church of God today is directly descended from the first century church. Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised by the label that the world might attach to the Church today.
 
But there is an irony in all of this. As you will recall, a sect can be defined as “a body of persons agreed upon religious doctrines usually different from those of an established or orthodox church from which they have separated; non-conformist or other church as described by opponents.”
 
When we look at church history and the doctrines of the Bible, the Church of God is the true Church holding fast to the truth that is expounded in God’s Word, and all of those in mainstream Christianity have descended from the apostate church of the 1st and 2nd century. They have developed many traditions and an understanding that are simply not biblical!
 
In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter how the world refers to us, as long as we are doing the Work that God called us to do and that we, individually, are growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), as we progress towards the kingdom of God!
 
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

Persecution

On January 14, 2012, Norbert Link will give the sermon, titled, “Persecution.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

A new StandingWatch program was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “Will Iran Be Attacked?”  Will Iran close the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf? Or is Iran just making empty threats? Would the USA try to prevent Iran from doing so? Will Israel attack Iran, with or without American support? What will Europe and Russia do? You may be surprised to hear that you can find solid answers in your Bible.

A third radio program has been recorded, titled, “The Great Tribulation.” It will be broadcast, beginning Sunday, January 15, 2012. Our radio broadcasts are being posted on our Website, www.standingwatch.org.

A new German sermon was posted on YouTube, titled, “Das Siebte Siegel” (“The Seventh Seal.”).

The German translation of our booklet, “Baptism-A Requirement for Salvation?” was sent to our graphic designer, Shelly Bruno.

Things

by John Amorelli
 
When I was a kid, I wanted a lot of “things.” I’m referring to toys–action figures such as “GI JOE,” video games and a myriad other “gadgets.” You could say, I was a spoiled child! I would occupy myself with these “things,” but after a period of time, I would exhaust my interest in them, and they would end up in the “big toy chest,” never to be played with again. Now, as an adult, I periodically have the desire to obtain material things, and when I don’t “get” them, I feel frustrated.
 
I have been in the Truth for six years now. I am learning each day about God’s way of life; the way of give instead of the way of get, and I do sometimes struggle with this. God has called me to His Truth and His understanding; these are “spiritual” things that cannot be replaced. They are priceless and can lead to eternal life, if I continue living in His path!
 
The questions I have to ask myself are:
 
1. “Will I throw the spiritual ‘things’ that God gave me in the spiritual toy chest and let them be forgotten?”
 
2. “Will I invest more of my time in the spiritual gifts that have been given to me by the Eternal, or will I tip the scale more towards the perishable, material things of this world?”
 
The answer to these questions is: Only I can answer this.

Preaching

On January 7, 2012, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “Preaching.”

The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

US Contributions for 2011:

Donations and contributions received with letters postmarked in 2011 AND with enclosed written checks, dated in 2011, will be included in the detailed donation receipts for 2011. These receipts will be printed and sent out in January of 2012. Cash contributions must also be received prior to January 1, 2012 (or, if sent by letter, the letter must be postmarked in 2011), in order to be included in the donation receipts for 2011. All contributions not falling into the categories described above will not be included in the donation receipts for 2011.

A new StandingWatch program was posted on You Tube and on our Website www.standingwatch.org. It is titled, “Why No Peace on Earth?” When the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, did they also promise peace on earth for all men? If so, why haven’t we experienced peace since then? How do we explain the paradox that nearly all really great religious and political leaders have acknowledged the utter futility of war, while war is ongoing? Did early Christians fight in war? What did Christ teach us? Is the concept of righteous war in accordance with the Bible? Will we ever experience peace on earth?

Norbert Link’s video-recorded sermon, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Part 2,” was posted on YouTube and on our Website www.eternalgod.org.

A new German sermon was posted on YouTube and on our Website, www.aufpostenstehen.de, titled, “Schutz vor Gottes Zorn.” [“Protection from God’s Wrath.”]

As was announced before, contracts for a new weekly radio broadcast have been signed, initially for a test run of six months. A complete list of the radio stations, locations and times was published in Update 520. On an average, the programs will be about 13-14 minutes in length. The first program will be airing on Sunday, January 1, 2012. It will discuss the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The second program will begin airing on January 8. It is titled, “Destruction and Hope.”

What is depicted by the seventh plague of the seventh trumpet?

In our previous Q&A, we began discussing the Day of the Lord. We showed that the Day of the Lord describes and encompasses the seventh seal of the scroll which the Lamb opens—and the seventh seal consists of seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet consists of the seven last plagues or bowls of God’s wrath. We addressed the first six plagues of the seventh trumpet, pointing out that during the sixth plague, the kings of the east and other powers of this earth will assemble at a place called Armageddon or “hill of Megiddo,” which is about 55 miles north of Jerusalem. From there, they will move towards Jerusalem, where they will try to fight the returning Jesus Christ. That “battle” will take place in the Kidron Valley, bordering Jerusalem on the East.

We will now begin to discuss in detail the events occurring during and subsequent to the seventh and last plague of the last trumpet, as well as prior events.

We begin by quoting from our free booklet, “Is that in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation”:

“(7.7.7) The SEVENTH OF THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES… describes a tremendous earthquake to shake the earth ‘as had not occurred since men were on the earth’ (Revelation 16:17–18; compare Isaiah 2:12–19; 13:6–13; 24:1–20), causing the ‘great city’ of Jerusalem to be ‘divided into three parts’ and ‘all the cities of the nations’ to fall (Revelation 16:19). Further, every island will disappear and mountains will be leveled (Revelation 16:20). A great hail of tremendous size will destroy everything in its path. Again, man will not repent, but will continue to blaspheme God because of the hail (Revelation 16:21).”

“When the seventh angel sounds and when Christ returns, the saints—converted Christians—will be resurrected to immortality, or they will be changed to immortality, if they are still alive (1 Corinthians 15:50–56; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18)… They will meet Christ in the air and descend with Him, on that same day, on the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14:3–5 indicates that, apparently due to the great earthquake of the seventh bowl, mentioned in Revelation 16:17–18, the Mount of Olives shall split in two, making a very large valley, where the final battle of God Almighty will take place.

“Christ will overcome the armies that will be trying to fight Him, as well as the modern leaders of modern ‘Babylon’—the military ruler (‘the beast’) and the religious leader (‘the false prophet’) (compare Revelation 19:19–21). The destruction of the armies is more fully described in Zechariah 14:12, 15. The beast and the false prophet will be cast into ‘the lake of fire burning with brimstone’ (Revelation 19:20)…”

Revelation 14:19-20 informs us in regard to that “battle” in the valley of Jehoshaphat or the Kidron Valley, that the “great winepress of the wrath of God… was trampled outside the city [of Jerusalem], and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs [lit. stadia, about 184 miles in all].”

In addition, we read that ten European kings or kingdoms had given their authority to the beast (Revelation 17:12-13). They will also participate in the battle against Christ, but they will be likewise defeated (Revelation 17:14). This could refer to the fate of ten literal leaders or “kings” and/or ten nations or groups of nations (“kingdoms” and “kings” are used often times interchangeably in Scripture), endowing the beast with dictatorial authority and placing their armies under his autocratic rule.

We also find that even prior to that final battle, these ten kings or kingdoms will turn against the religious power and “make her desolate” (verse 16), apparently confiscating her property. The coming strong European alliance between church and state is prophesied to crumble. Ultimately, modern Babylon, that is, the religious and economic European system, as well as the city of Rome (Revelation 17:9, 18), will be destroyed in one day (Revelation 18:8) and in one hour (verse 17). This will apparently occur during the time of the seven last plagues or bowls, since Revelation 17:1 explains: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot [i.e., Babylon, verse 5] who sits on many waters’” [i.e., peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, verse 15].

In a recent Q&A on the prophesied future of Libya, we stated the following:

“… the Bible shows that after ten European nations under modern Assyria (‘the Babylonian system’) will have subdued and conquered many nations, they themselves will be defeated in war by the modern Medes (Compare Isaiah 13:17, describing the destruction of modern ‘Babylon’ through the hand of the modern ‘Medes’ or Russians and Ukrainians. Verses 6, 9 and 13 designate the timing as occurring during the ‘day of the LORD.’ Compare also Isaiah 21:2 and Jeremiah 51:11, 27-29).”

It appears that before or while moving towards the place called Armageddon in the Middle East (after the Euphrates river has dried up)—depicted by the sixth plague of the seventh trumpet—at least parts of the armies of the kings of the east will apparently sweep through Europe, create devastating havoc there, and destroy the city of Rome. Jeremiah 51:27-28 refers to horses, as coming up against Babylon like the bristling locusts, indicating that they will use some of their tanks and of their air force to destroy modern Babylon. They will be especially led by the modern “Medes” or Russians and Ukrainians. At that time, the beast and the false prophet will apparently be dwelling in Jerusalem, so they will not be personally affected by these attacks on Europe. Neither will be the ten kings and their armies. They too will apparently be in Jerusalem at that time, as they will fight with the beast against the returning Christ (compare again Revelation 17:15).

In addition, God’s punishment and His wrath will be poured out over everyone who worships the beast and his image, and who receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand. We read that he “shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the PRESENCE of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:10).

Compare also 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, which explains what will happen “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the PRESENCE of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

Even before fire destroys them, they will live in fear of their future. Compare Luke 21:26-27: “…men’s hearts [will be] failing them from fear and expectation of those things which are coming on the earth…Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the cloud with power and great glory.” Because of their fearful expectations, they will be having “no rest day or night” prior to their death (Revelation 14:11).

Some might think that the blowing of the seventh trumpet depicts just the event of the resurrection or change of the saints, which will occur within a time span of a few seconds. It is true that when Christ returns, the saints will be resurrected or changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” at the time of the blowing of the seventh and last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52). As was pointed out above, the resurrected and the changed saints will be “caught up together… in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” and they will from then on “always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). All will descend to the Mount of Olives on that same day, and it is then when the armies of the powers of the world will be destroyed.

As we have seen, the seventh trumpet will “blow” for quite a while, as it consists of the seven last plagues, which will begin to occur prior to Christ’s return. For example, during the sixth plague, the armies of the world will move to and assemble at Armageddon. Obviously, it will take those armies a certain amount of time to get there. Then, they will move towards Jerusalem to fight against Christ, again requiring some time to move to Jerusalem.

Beginning with Revelation 20, additional events are described, which will occur after Christ has returned to this earth. An angel will bind and imprison Satan and his demons for 1,000 years or a Millennium, so that Satan cannot deceive mankind during that period (Revelation 20:1-4). After the destruction of God’s human enemies and the banishment of Satan, the Millennial rule over all of mankind will begin. The resurrected saints will govern with Christ on this earth for 1,000 years. But mankind will not immediately embrace God’s way of peace. Instead, more human attempts to fight in war will have to be dealt with, which will be discussed in a subsequent Q&A. We will also discuss in a future Q&A how some members of God’s Church and modern Israelites and Jews will be protected during the times of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the LORD.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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