The Coming Storm ... Called, Tribulation—Book One: An In-Depth Study Dealing with the Rapture of the Church and the Release of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

By Dr. Douglas M. Lane

Storm Clouds

As darkness approached, the young ladya senior at the University of Alabamalooked out at the ominous clouds forming across the horizon. All evening news reports had warned of possible tornado activity.

As the clouds grew darker, Chelsey and her friends found that safest placeas some call the inner hallwayin her apartment. They told jokes to keep from showing their fear, and they waited.

On campus and off , students and townspeople waited and watchedsome even prayed. As the storm bore down on the sleepy university town, family groups and student groups alike found themselves huddled into whatever safest place could be found. One group of students found themselves crowded into an inner hallway. Laughing to cover their anxiety, they even convinced a couple of friends to get into a small linen closet to make room for others in the hallway.

The lights flickered and went off . In the small linen closet, the darkness was exceeded only by the deafening noise and fierce, violent shaking. How can a few minutes last so long?

The friends in the closet finally managed to uncover their ears, shaking themselves as they searched for the doorknob. They could see nothing as their minds tried to process all that had just happened. Their ark of safety had served them well. They opened the door.

Indeed, they had unknowingly been inside an ark of safety. Their friends had crowded down next to the ark. But next to the ark is not the same as being in the ark. Stunned into disbelief, they looked their friends were

RELIGION SPIRITUALITY
Truth Alive Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 61581
Savannah, Georgia 31419

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449743550

Dr. Douglas M. Lane

About the Author: Beginning his ministry in 1966, Dr. Lane has spent over thirty of those years as a student of Bible prophecy, having taught eschatology on a college level for several years. Dr. Lane developed the curriculum and administrative structure of two separate Bible institutes and then took over the reins of an established two-year institute and guided it to become a four-year, fully accredited Bible college. During those years, he and his wife, Glenda, spent over twenty years as pastors of several churches. The two now travel between their home in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, the nation of Haiti and southern Mexico, teaching leadership at pastors’ conferences and conducting Bible prophecy seminars.

Book preview

The Coming Storm … Called, Tribulation—Book One

An In-depth Study Dealing with the Rapture of the Church and the Release of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Dr. Douglas M. Lane

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Copyright © 2012 Dr. Douglas M. Lane

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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All Bible quotes—unless otherwise noted—are from the King James Version.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-4355-0 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/01/2012

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

In Conclusion

About the Author

As My First E-Book is Released …

Thank You …

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… my beautiful, faithful wife of forty-eight years …

… my children and their families … Steve & Betty … Paul & Shannon … …Mark & Morgan … Vonna & Kin …

… grandchildren … Chris … Kiona … Chance … Zach … Lillie …

,,, the Little One on the way … Hunter …

… faithful friends & supporters … Mike & Pam … David & Janice …

… mine and my wife’s siblings … Terry & Sonia … Jim & Phyllis … Russ & Cindy … Russell & Wanda … Tim & Kaye … Rick & Marva …

… nieces … Chelsey, thanks for your story …

… late pastor Tony’s wife, Betty—through the years …

… pastor Neil … folks at O.D.M. …

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Preface

Is the Study of Bible Prophecy Even Relevant in the Twenty-First Century?

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Most people today understand and accept that the world we live in operates on a cause and effect base. They believe the universe is moving along on its own power like a clock that has been wound up and left alone to run down. They understand that the various situations and circumstances of our world are only the result—or the effect—of things that have happened at some point earlier in history—the cause. What most do not believe is that there is a master plan or a divine guiding hand that is in control.

They believe the ever-changing geographical boundaries of nations, as well as the political uncertainties of today are simply, and only, the result of political, economical, or military changes of last month, last year, or even last century.

Nothing, however, could be further from the truth! There is a guiding hand. There is a divine plan. And, there is a God that is in ultimate control of every circumstance, situation or change. There is a God who knows the end even from the beginning. Not only does God know what the end will be, He has been, and continues to be, involved in bringing about a final, orderly, conclusion to that end.

It is an understood fact that cause and effect is a universal law in our world; however, the attitude of the world is that man is the originator of the causes that produce the effects. This is where the problem lies.

It is hard for man to believe that this world with all its seeming uncertainties is the result of an omnipotent God with a master plan. It is hard to see this God in control of His world, in control of His universe. The idea that God has a definite, planned, conclusion for all of history is beyond the scope of most people’s thinking; and yet you and I, children of that God, walking by faith in His Word, understand that we are, in fact, living in the closing days of that plan.

In this study we will see the hand of that omnipotent God as He brings the history of this world—as we know it—to that final conclusion.

This is not a story book! It is not a novel to be leisurely read, put aside and forgotten. This is a study of Biblical scriptures. Biblical scriptures that relate to the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. They teach that He will first return to catch away His church and then—returning with that church—He will set up a physical Kingdom here on planet earth.

In this study we will take various scripture verses apart and examine them in detail. We will then put them back together and hopefully come to an understanding of exactly what the author meant for us to receive. This study will give the student of Bible Prophecy a new foundation and the ability to look at scripture from a totally new perspective. With the knowledge gained here, areas of the Bible that have caused conjecture and uncertainty in the past will become clear.

No, we will not cover every scripture dealing with specific subject areas—not even close. I will not and cannot answer every question, but after more than four decades of ministry, and teaching the subject of End Time Prophecy on a Bible College level, I feel like I have a little something worth saying.

Now, sit back, buckle your seat belt, and get ready for the ride. God is at the controls and we are in for a spectacular journey. We will see the eternal plan of God as it unfolds before our eyes, and we will see ourselves as we fit into that plan.

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Introduction

Storm Clouds …

In memory and in honor of those who lost everything

in the 2011 Tuscaloosa, Alabama tornados.

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It was mid-afternoon, Wednesday, April 27, 2011. My wife’s niece—a senior at the University of Alabama—looked from her apartment window at the ominous clouds forming across the horizon. All afternoon the news reports had warned of possible tornado activity in the Tuscaloosa area. Would she actually see her first tornado? It almost sounded exciting, but no, seems as if she remembered stories of lost lives. Not being from an area of the country bothered by these storms she realized how very little she knew about them. The clouds were beautiful though … in a frightening sort of way, but such things as killer tornados only happened somewhere else … right?

As the clouds grew darker the electricity couldn’t decide if it was