Revelation of the End Time

By Mark P. Krieger

Does Bible prophecy seem too confusing to you? Can you know when the end time will take place and what events will be included in the end of history on Earth?
Will the Church be subjected to the judgments of God and persecution at the hands of the Antichrist?
Revelation of the End Time answers these and other prophetic questions, derived from texts in Scripture, to give a clear awareness of the developments in Gods plan. The easy-to-understand language of this informative and mesmerizing volume puts together the puzzle of the end time.
Knowledge of these future happenings can have an effect in your life. What you read in these pages will challenge you to take end time prophecy seriously and compel you to investigate the Bible for answers.
Jesuss First Advent assures you of His Second Coming. You should be familiar with and be ready for that end of history eventlearn here.
Revelation of the End Time is a comprehensive guide to end time Bible prophecy pertaining to:
Gods plan for man the Rapture the Tribulation Jesuss Physical Second Appearing the Millennium Eternity

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490867861

Mark P. Krieger

Mark P. Krieger has been an adult Bible teacher for more than three decades, holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees, and retired from the US Army in 1992. He has written one other book, The Four Gospels. Mark and his wife, Myong Ju, live in northern Georgia.

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Copyright © 2015 Mark P. Krieger.

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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ISBN: 978-1-4908-6787-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6788-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6786-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015901297

WestBow Press rev. date: 4/1/2015

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1:  God’s Plan For Man

Opening Comments

The Plan

The Bible

Jesus

Angels

Satan

Israel

History of Man

Covenants and Dispensations

Savior Versus Satan Through the Ages

The Church

The Catholic Church

Place of the Dead

Hell

Judgments

The End of History

Resurrection of Man

The Afterlife

Closing Observations

Chapter 2:  Bible Prophecy

Opening Comments

The Function of Bible Prophecy

Covenants

Views of Interpreting Prophecy

Jesus and Prophecy

The Olivet Discourse

Key People, Places, and Events

Numbers in Prophecy

The Book of Deuteronomy and Prophecy

The Book of Ezekiel and Prophecy

The Book of Daniel and Prophecy

Daniel’s 70 Weeks

The Book of Joel and Prophecy

The Book of Zechariah and Prophecy

The Book of Revelation and Prophecy

The End Time

Understanding Kingdom Arrival

Closing Observations

Chapter 3:  The Rapture

Opening Comments

Views of the Rapture

The Rapture in History and Prophecy

Signs of the Rapture

The Holy Spirit and the Rapture

Two Phases of the Second Coming

Christians and the Wrath

Resurrection of the Dead

Events of the Rapture

Judgment and Rewards of Believers

Marriage of the Lamb

Imminency of the Rapture

Closing Observations

Chapter 4:  The Tribulation

Opening Comments

Old Testament Prophecy of the Tribulation

Reasons for the Tribulation

Purposes of the Tribulation

Views of the Tribulation

Satan During the Tribulation

Temple Rebuilt and Destroyed

Events of the Tribulation

Judgments of the Tribulation

Unredeemed of the Tribulation

Throne of God

Seal Judgments

Seal of a Believer

144,000 Witnesses

The Multitude Saved During the Tribulation

Trumpet Judgments

The Strong Angel and the Little Book

Two Witnesses

Israel Persecuted by Satan

Place of Refuge for Israel and Believers

The Antichrist

The False Prophet

Another 144,000

Preaching Angel

Babylon’s Rise and Fall

Doom of Antichrist Worshipers

Tribulation Saints

Reaper Angel

Glimpse of Heaven

Wrath of God

Bowl Judgments

Babylon’s Fate

The Hallelujah Chorus and the Twenty-Four Elders

Closing Observations

Chapter 5:  Jesus’ Physical Second Appearing

Opening Comments

Bible References and Chronology

Signs of the Physical Second Appearing

Physical Second Appearing of Christ

Campaign of Armageddon

Doom of the Antichrist and the False Prophet

Satan Bound

Closing Observations

Chapter 6:  The Millennium

Opening Comments

Between the Tribulation and the Millennium

Views of the Millennium

Description of the Millennium

Millennial Kingdom of Christ

Purpose of the Millennium

Persons Entering the Millennium

Millennial Temple and Sacrifices

Rebellion at the End of the Millennium

Final Doom of Satan

Great White Throne Judgment

Lake of Fire

Closing Observations

Chapter 7:  Eternity

Opening Comments

Destruction of the Current Earth and Heaven

New Heaven and New Earth

New Jerusalem

The Heaven-Like Earth of Eternity

Citizens of Heaven

Closing Observations

Endnotes

PREFACE

Bible prophecy can be a perplexing quagmire of conflicting opinions and, for many people, it remains cloaked in mystery and irrelevance. Have you ever yearned to comprehend what the Bible reveals about the end time? Have you ever desired to find one book that would help put all the pieces together in an uncomplicated manner? I wrote this tome to assist the average person in acquiring an understanding of Old Testament and New Testament prophecy concerning the end time in a straightforward format.

Individuals want answers to the future—Bible prophecy supplies those answers. We may be living on the brink of the fulfillment of those future events. Bible prophecy provides a thorough narrative of the future and it outlines what is going to happen to mankind. Prophetic books of the Bible make it apparent that Christ and His saints are the ultimate winners in this earthly life—they finalize God’s magnificent objective for the human race. Prophecy exhibits what God has planned for this world before it occurs, which enables us to be prepared for those future events.

The principal aspiration of this volume is to ascertain the meaning of prophetic Scripture. I seek to present the significance of end time prophecy in such a way that you will find extensive help within the pages of this book. Opinions articulated within are rooted in my intense and prayerful study. The goal of this work is to present an easy to understand synopsis of the prophesied revelation of the end time.

My traditional experience induced me to capitalize all references to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit—this includes personal nouns and pronouns; I do this in reverence to the Trinity. Also, I have capitalized for emphasis key events of history, both past and future, and primary designations of key persons and places; examples are: Antichrist; Beast; Dragon; Earth; The Fall; False Prophet; New Babylon; Rapture; Transfiguration; Two Witnesses.

I have used the Albatrus first three alphanumeric system of Bible book names to abbreviate the referenced books in Scripture; for example: Gen for Genesis; 1Co for 1 Corinthians. The only exceptions to this tenet are the conflict between Philemon and Philippians, where Philemon is represented as Phm and Philippians as Phi, and the conflict between Judges and Jude, where Judges is represented as Jdg and Jude as Jud.

All the Bible texts quoted in this work use the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) translation except when noted that the following translations were employed: King James Version (KJV); New American Standard Bible (NASB); New International Version (NIV); New King James Version (NKJV); New Living Translation (NLT); Weymouth New Testament (WEY); Young’s Literal Translation (YLT).

As you read this book, I pray that God will use it to give you an understanding about the end time and the triumphant return of Christ. My prayer is that God will bless this work to provide a tool for your use as guided by the Holy Spirit.

CHAPTER 1

GOD’S PLAN FOR MAN

Opening Comments

God began making known His will to man from the beginning when He said, "I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel (Gen 3:15). This first prophecy is related to God’s plan of salvation for mankind. From this point forward in time, through numerous Bible writers, God revealed more of His plan. Every human being has to make a choice either to repent from their sin and trust Jesus as Savior or reject Him and remain in their sin. In the Old Testament God gave commandments to the children of Israel. If they kept His commands, God promised to bless them. If they did not keep His commands, God promised to curse them. The entire history of man is an illustration of the implementation of God’s promises according to the choices and behavior of the people. There has been, and will continue to be, a struggle between good and evil. This conflict of the ages will be won by God when His Son, Jesus, returns to Earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev 19:16)—Christ will set up His righteous Kingdom on Earth for 1,000 years, which will be followed by Eternity, best described as Heaven.

The Plan

Have you wondered what God’s plan is for humans? When Adam and Eve brought sin into human nature and the world, God already had His plan of salvation in place. Remember what Jesus said as He hung on the cross: "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing (Luk 23:34). This prayer of Christ was answered by God when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and said, Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him…Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Act 2:23, 38). That day 3,000 men, many who were guilty of demanding Jesus’ crucifixion 50 days earlier, placed their faith in Christ (Act 2:41). They repented and God forgave them, resulting in the newest members of the Church.

Likewise, God wants to forgive your sins and assure you of Eternity in Heaven: "’Tell them: As I live’—the declaration of the Lord God—’I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’" (Eze 33:11). God’s plan offers to forgive us of our sins and to give us a new, vibrant life of faith with Him. All we have to do is repent, turn away from our sin, believe in God’s plan of salvation through Christ, and commit our lives to the grace and mercy of God: "Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, and everyone who believes in Him is justified from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses (Act 13:38–39). Jesus wants us to live forever with Him and the Father. The goal is found in Jesus’ words when He said, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" (Joh 5:24, NASB). This Bible passage tells us the key is to hear and believe the Word. Believing means to commit your life to Christ; this will result in salvation and everlasting life.

God’s plan for man was to manifest Himself to the world through the nation of Israel. Because Israel turned from God, He now works through the Church to make Himself known to the world. This Church Age—the Age of Grace—is the period between the first 69 weeks of Daniel’s 70 week prophecy and the 70th week (see Chapter 2, Bible Prophecy, Daniel’s 70 Weeks). After the Rapture of the Church (see Chapter 3, The Rapture), God will again work through the nation of Israel, as will be evident by the 144,000 Witnesses in Revelation, chapter 7, and the Two Witnesses in Revelation, chapter 11 (see Chapter 4, The Tribulation, 144,000 Witnesses and Two Witnesses)—this will fulfill His Old Testament promises to Israel. Scripture says, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven (Mat 5:16) and Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory" (1Co 10:31). Accordingly, the end purpose of everything is for the glory of God. However, God’s plan has an antagonist of Satan, who wants to keep mankind from repentance and acceptance of the plan of salvation. Satan has succeeded in causing the nation of Israel to turn away from God and he will try to prevent them from fulfilling God’s purpose during the end time.

The prophet Joel said, "Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls (Joe 2:32). The Bible tells us that when the people heard Peter preach on the day of Pentecost, they came under deep conviction and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: ‘Brothers, what must we do?’" (Act 2:37). People today are asking the same question. Christ’s First Advent provided the necessary sacrifice for sin (Isa 53:1–12) and His Physical Second Appearing (see Chapter 5, Jesus’ Physical Second Appearing) will complete God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

It is the will of God that all men be saved: "The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance" (2Pe 3:9). God has done, and will do, what is necessary to complete His plan of salvation because He wants to save us. For those who willingly turn from themselves and admit they need God, salvation is easy to obtain—all you have to do is receive it as a gift. Only the blood of Christ has any value in bringing us to God. This is all in the plan of God for us.

The Bible

The Bible contains God’s plan for the human race. Half of its books include man’s history with particular emphasis placed on the nation of Israel. It also contains God’s instructions to us on how He wants us to live in 25% of its books. Prophecy comprises 25% of the Bible’s books, which not only tells us of Jesus’ First Advent, but it also provides a revelation of the end time (see Chapter 4, The Tribulation, Chapter 5, Jesus’ Physical Second Appearing, Chapter 6, The Millennium, and Chapter 7, Eternity). Prophecy serves as a preview of future events (see Chapter 2, Bible Prophecy). God’s supernatural hand on Scripture is affirmed in the fulfillment of prophecy.

The Bible is a library of 66 books written by more than 40 authors of a variety of occupations over a period of 1,500 years. There is an incredible harmony from Genesis through Revelation that cannot be attributed to the men who wrote it—the Holy Spirit supernaturally used them to give us God’s plan. Peter said, "because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2Pe 1:21).

The Holy Spirit ensured the Bible’s reliability and accuracy. Unity pervades the books of the Bible, an accomplishment not humanly possible—obviously God orchestrated this agreement. There are no contradictions in the Bible. Scriptures that appear to be discrepant prove to be in agreement as one studies and as archeological discoveries prove throughout time.

Timothy said, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness" (2Ti 3:16). The accuracy of the Old Testament, originally written in Hebrew, has been significantly confirmed by the Dead Sea scrolls. Religious writings that have been included in the Old Testament met exacting standards know as the canon—measuring rod or rule. Jesus and the Apostles quoted from the Old Testament more than 600 times in the New Testament, indicating their approval of selected texts. The Septuagint—Hebrew Old Testament—was translated around 280 B.C. and was completed about 100 years later. The Bible has been accurately preserved like no other ancient tome.

The authority of the New Testament is its citing of itself as Scripture. For example, in 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul quotes from Luke 10:7. Peter placed his and other Apostle’s writing on a par with the Old Testament prophets when he said, "Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to develop a genuine understanding with a reminder, so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior ⌊given⌋ through your apostles (2Pe 3:1–2). Peter also showed that he was familiar with Paul’s writings and regarded them with the same degree of authority as the Old Testament writers when he said, Also, regard the patience of our Lord as ⌊an opportunity for⌋ salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures" (2Pe 3:15–16).

The New Testament, completed by the second century, was originally written in Greek. Its authenticity is traceable to within 100 years of the Apostles. Later it was translated into the Latin Vulgate, which served as the primary source document for over 1,000 years for other translations. The 27 books of the New Testament were universally accepted since the earliest days of the Church and were formally ratified by the Council of Carthage in A.D. 397, which only included books already in use by the Church for over three centuries. The writings of early Church fathers quoted repeatedly from this New Testament.

The various translations of the Bible include: Latin Vulgate, A.D. 450; Wycliffe’s Version, 1382; Coverdale Bible, 1535; Geneva Bible, 1560; King James Version, 1611; American Standard Version, 1901; modern translations, 1950–present. These translations have provided us with God’s plan of salvation since the time of Jesus and the Apostles.

Jesus

Jesus is the core of God’s plan of salvation for man. The book of Isaiah prophesied the entire ministry of Jesus. It discusses His First and Second Coming, which are separated by the Tribulation (see Chapter 4, The Tribulation)—a period of time called "the Day of Vengeance of our God" (Isa 61:2, NASB)—followed by His Millennial reign over Earth.

The First Coming of Jesus did not entirely fulfill God’s plan for mankind because Christ was rejected by the nation Israel. What the First Advent did was complete the work of providing salvation to us through His death and resurrection. The Physical Second Appearing of Jesus will finish God’s plan of bringing His people into His Kingdom and eternal Heaven.

Approximately 400 years after the record in the Old Testament, the greatest fulfilled prophecy occurred with the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah—Christ in Greek. During His 33 year life were fulfilled at least 109 prophecies. The Messiah provided a permanent way of escaping Satan’s deception and the consequences of sin—salvation by grace through faith in Christ. As He promised, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers and provide them with supernatural power to combat Satan. Jesus made this clear when He said, "Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you" (Joh 16:7).

Have you ever wondered about Jesus’ use of the term Son of Man to describe Himself? Daniel used the term as a Messianic designation when he said, "I continued watching in the night visions, and I saw One like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a Kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His Kingdom is one that will not be destroyed (Dan 7:13–14). This authority is also expressed when the psalmist said, ⌊This is⌋ the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion. Rule over Your surrounding enemies (Psa 110:1–2). The Jews would have associated this with Jesus when, at his stoning, Stephen said, Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Act 7:56). Matthew uses the term Son of Man twenty-eight times, Mark uses it eleven times, Luke uses it twenty-three times, and John uses it thirteen times. Half of the Gospel uses of this term are in Matthew chapters 19–26. However, the most significant usage is found in the Olivet Discourse (Mat 24:1–25:46). None of the New Testament epistles use the expression Son of Man because the Messianic Kingdom has been postponed and the Church Age has begun. The reign of the Son of Man will not take place until after the Rapture of the Church and the Tribulation. Though some interpreters dispute this designation for Jesus is a Messianic reference, the expression Son of Man occurs twice in the book of Revelation (1:13, 14:14), showing that Jesus is the Son who is related to God and that He is the Son who is related to mankind.

It is valid to use Old Testament Messianic prophecies to prove Jesus’ identity. Christ clearly stated this claim in Luke 4:16–30, where He quotes from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the Day of Vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn (Isa 61:1–2, NASB). Then He closed the scroll of Isaiah and said, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21). Jesus was claiming He was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy. This extraordinary statement launched His 3 ½ year ministry, during which He satisfied all 109 First Coming prophecies. Christ was indeed the accomplishment of all Old Testament prophecies. When Jesus read the prophecies about Himself in Isaiah chapter 61, He stopped at verse 2 because He was announcing the reasons for His First Coming and because He was to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. That is a reference to the Church Age, often called the Age of Grace, so that "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom 10:13). Jesus stopped at and the Day of Vengeance of our God, which speaks of the Tribulation period, because the purpose of His First Coming was to announce a period of grace and salvation.

The book of Revelation is the only place in the Bible that contains Jesus’ personal description of Himself. When placed together as a unit, the following statements give a clear picture of His divine nature. There is no doubt that Jesus is God; He said concerning Himself in Revelation chapters 1–3:

1:8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega"—Jesus is the beginning and the end of all things.

1:17: "I am the First and the Last"—Christ is eternal.

1:18: "I am alive forever"—speaks of His resurrection and eternity.

1:18: "and I hold the keys of death and Hades"—Jesus controls who goes to Hell and the future of all believers.

2:1: "The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand"—Christ controls the messengers of the churches.

2:1: "the One who walks among the seven gold lampstands"—Jesus walks among the churches and is easily accessible to them if they desire.

2:8: "The First and the Last, the One Who was dead, and came to life"—Christ combines a reference to His eternal nature with the fact of His death and resurrection.

2:12: "The One who has the sharp, double-edged sword"—Jesus presents the Word of God as His offensive weapon.

2:18: "The Son of God"—asserts Christ’s relationship to God as His divine Son.

2:18: "the One whose eyes are like a fiery flame"—an obvious reference to Jesus’ searching gaze on the work of His Church.

2:18: "and whose feet are like fine bronze"—bronze, or brass, is a reference to judgment because Christ will one day judge all people.

3:1: "The One Who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars"—the Holy Spirit will guide the star messengers of the churches because the Church has never been without guidance.

3:7: "He who is holy" (NASB)—Jesus’ nature is holy.

3:7: "the True One"—Christ’s testimony is right and can be relied upon.

3:7: "the One Who has the key of David"—Jesus has the authority to rule over God’s people.

3:7: "who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens"—Christ controls our opportunities to serve Him.

3:14: "The Amen"—Jesus has final authority.

3:14: "the faithful and true Witness"—Christ is the revelation of God.

3:14: "the Originator of God’s creation "—Jesus is the author and source of all God’s creation.

3:20: "Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me"—Christ pictures Himself standing outside knocking at the door of a person’s heart because He does not force His entrance, but leaves it to the individual to invite Him to come in.

The present work—continual action—of Christ was told to us by John when he said, "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood (Rev 1:5). Concerning all those who, by faith, have received God’s plan of salvation, John said, the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin (1Jo 1:7), but this is based on the condition that we confess our sin. John further said, But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin (Rev 1:6). Although believers may not look like this today, a time is coming when they will reign with Jesus because they are children of God by faith. Paul said God rescued believers from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him" (Col 1:13–14).

It is an absolute certainty of Christ’s Second Coming, which is mentioned 329 times in the Bible. This event fulfills both Old Testament and New Testament prophecies. Jesus made it clear the timing of His return when He said, "He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him (Mat 24:36). Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gave an unconditional promise that He would return: If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also" (Joh 14:3). Christ’s return is a principal doctrine in the Bible—salvation is the only subject mentioned more frequently. 216 chapters of the New Testament contain 318 references to Jesus’ Second Coming, which means one verse out of every 30 verses states this fact. Only four books of the New Testament do not teach the Second Coming—three of these are letters with a single chapter (Philemon, 2 John, and 3 John); the other book (Galatians) does not specifically refer to this event but makes implication of it (Gal 1:4). If you believe the Bible, you must believe in the Second Coming of Christ, which is not only a certainty, it is a doctrinal requirement. An affirmation that Satan is a defeated enemy is God’s prophetic plan for Jesus to return.

Therefore, the future work of Christ has to do with John’s prophecy when he said, "Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over Him. This is certain. Amen (Rev 1:7). The fact that Christ is coming again was pronounced by the angel at His Ascension when he said, They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven’ (Act 1:11). Jesus will come visibly to Earth when He comes at the end of the Tribulation to establish His Millennial Kingdom. Jesus ascended in a cloud: After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight (Act 1:9), and He will return in a cloud: Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Mat 24:30). When Jesus returns, the people that have rejected Him, and are eternally lost, will mourn. The book of Revelation teaches us that Jesus is coming again to judge the unsaved of the world at the Great White Throne Judgment (see Chapter 6, The Millennium, Great White Throne Judgment). The basis for this judgment will be whether or not people have received Christ as Savior and Lord.

Angels

Angels are powerful beings: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation? (Heb 1:14). God apparently created them before He formed the universe: while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:7)—these morning stars serve and worship God (Heb 1:7). Angels are spiritual beings who can appear in human form (Gen 18:1–8). They normally appear as males (Mar 16:5; Luk 24:4); the only apparent exception is in Zechariah 5:9, where two angels are described as women. Sometimes angels appear as strange living creatures (Rev 4:6–8). They differ from one another in power, glory, and function, which results in at least two categories of angels: 1)cherubim are the highest class and attend the glory, holiness, and majesty of God (Eze 1:5–14, NASB); 2) seraphim are ablaze with the glory of God and continually announce His holiness (Isa 6:3, NASB). Cherubim are closely associated with the Throne of God (Eze 10:20, NASB) and seraphim apparently guard the Heavenly Throne and lead in worship (Isa 6:1–13, NASB). The Bible also tells us of destroying angels (2Ki 19:35; 1Co 10:10). God’s angels are influential, intelligent, swift, competent, and dedicated to doing His will.

The Bible describes angels as sinless and sexless beings. They do not marry or have children (Mat 22:28–30). Angels have individual personalities and names; for example, Michael has a special protective responsibility and is designated as the archangel (Dan 12:1; Jud 1:9)—the title sets him above the army of angels as their military leader (Rev 12:7)—and Gabriel is primarily a messenger who announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias (Luk 1:11–12) and Jesus to Mary (Luk 1:26–31), and he revealed prophetic messages to Daniel (Dan 9:21).

Angels appear to be restricted beings with certain limitations (Dan 10:10–14). They can excel in strength (2Pe 2:11). They can limit human wickedness (Gen 18:22) and execute human judgment (Gen 19:1–11). Angels can also exert power and influence over nature (Rev 9:14–19).

There are many roles for angels recorded in the Bible. They were at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:1) and at the giving of the Law (Gal 3:9–10). They were there in the time of the judges (Jdg 21:1–25), and in the time of David (2 Sam 24:16). They were there during the ministry of Elijah (1Ki 19:5) and that of Isaiah (2Ki 19:35). Angels were at the birth of Christ (Luk 2:8–14) and at His temptation (Mat 4:11). They were at the Garden of Gethsemane to strengthen Jesus (Luk 22:43). They were at the empty tomb to announce Christ’s resurrection (Mat 28:2) and at His Ascension to declare His return (Act 1:10–11). Angels have a very authentic and awesome function in the future Tribulation.

Scripture distinguishes between the holy angels (Mar 8:38, NASB) who serve God, and the demons who answer to Beelzebub—Satan (Mar 3:22). Demons are actually fallen angels (Rev 12:4) who long ago chose to rebel against God and join Satan’s unholy rebellion. Some of these fallen angels so heinously transgressed God’s will that they are kept in darkness and are bound in everlasting chains pending their day of judgment (Jud 1:6; 2Pe 2:4). Others are allowed to roam Earth and often seek to possess individuals by indwelling their bodies (Mat 12:43–45). Persons who are so possessed manifest a variety of odd and hurtful traits, such as muteness (Luk 11:14), convulsions (Mar 9:18), or a refusal to wear clothing coupled with a desire to live among the tombs (Luk 8:27). Jesus had frequent confrontations with demons, which He also called evil spirits. He forbade them from announcing His divine identity (Mar 1:34) and cast them out of those whom they were possessing (Luk 11:20). What the Gospels make clear—and what is amplified in Acts—is that these fallen angels are no match for Jesus. Jesus ordered some demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs, but before He did they cried out, "What do You have to do with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time? (Mat 8:29). In this connection the apostle James made a fascinating statement to his readers: You believe that God is One; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder" (Jam 2:19). The angels shudder because they already know their terrible fate (Mat 25:41).

Angels play a prominent role in the book of Revelation. These beings, both holy and fallen, are mentioned in this book no less than 77 times. Many times a holy angel is pictured as making a proclamation (Rev 5:2, 14:6, 14:8, 14:8, 9–10). At other times angels are seen giving instructions or explanations (Rev 7:2–3, 14:15, 17:7). They also are heard to burst out in mighty chorus to God (Rev 5:11–12, 7:11–12). It is through angels that God executes most of His judgments during the Tribulation. It is an angel who is told to gather the unsaved (Rev 14:18). Angels will place "the seal of the living God" on the foreheads of the servants of God (Rev 7:2–3, NASB). It is the angelic army that defeats Satan and his fallen angels, evicting them from Heaven and casting them to Earth (Rev 12:7–9). It is an angel who comes down out of Heaven at the end of the Tribulation, seizes Satan, and binds him in the Bottomless Pit for 1,000 years (Rev 20:1–2). Angels are entrusted with the safety and security of New Jerusalem in Eternity (Rev 21:12). Michael the archangel has special duties during the Tribulation, to include protecting the nation Israel (Dan 12:1).

The apostle John was so overwhelmed by the sight of one of God’s angels that twice he fell down at the angel’s feet to worship him. Twice the angel’s response was both immediate and forceful: "Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers who have the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev 19:10); Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God" (Rev 22:9).

God even uses fallen angels to accomplish His purposes in the Tribulation. Apollyon, the evil angel of the Bottomless Pit, is released at the Fifth Trumpet Judgment (see Chapter 4, The Tribulation, Trumpet Judgments) to lead a demonic army of locust-like creatures who will torment unbelievers for five months (Rev 9:1–11). In the Sixth Trumpet Judgment, four fallen angels who have been bound at the Euphrates River are released to kill ⅓ of mankind (Rev 9:13–15). Just before the Battle of Armageddon, three evil spirits that look "like frogs will proceed out of the mouths of the Devil, the Beast, and the False Prophet to deceive the kings of the world and to gather them for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty" (Rev 16:13–14, NASB). In all these things, the fallen angels merely carry out the will of God—they are never on the loose.

Satan

Satan—the Devil—is a created being who thinks he is God. It is not known when Satan was created, but some Bible scholars are convinced it was in ages past while others believe it was during the six days of The Creation recorded in Genesis 1:1–2:22. Since Satan was created as an angel, he came into existence with the other angels. He is a supernatural being who leads a kingdom of fallen angels—demons. His presence and power in the world is so extensive that Peter warned us of him when he said, "Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour" (1Pe 5:8).

How could a holy God create a wicked creature like Satan? Ezekiel speaks twice of Satan’s creation: "On the day that you were created they were prepared (Eze 28:13, NASB); From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you" (Eze 28:15). Created means bringing into existence something which has had no prior form or substance. God alone has the power to create. Other than man, Satan is usually considered the greatest created being; even the archangel Michael was reluctant to bring against him any accusations: "Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses’ body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ (Jud 1:9). Satan was the anointed cherub (Eze 28:14, NASB)—he was not just an angel, but the leader of the cherubim. As the cherubim stand in the presence of God today, so Satan once stood in charge of them. The abode of Satan was in Eden, the garden of God" (Eze 28:13, NASB). He "had the seal of perfection (Eze 28:12, NASB) and was blameless (Eze 28:15, NASB). Not until later was evil found in him and he sinned" (Eze 28:16, NASB). The answer to the question at the beginning of this paragraph, then, is that because of free will, Satan sinned by choosing to do so and not because God created him as a wicked being.

Satan was originally created perfect in all his ways, as were other angels and man. At some point in the past, Satan—Lucifer—became rebellious and enticed ⅓ of the angels of Heaven to do the same: "Then another sign appeared in Heaven: and behold, a great red Dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of Heaven and threw them to the Earth. And the Dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child (Rev 12:3–4, NASB). When John tells us that Devil’s tail swept away a third of stars of Heaven and threw them to the Earth", he was probably describing the original demonic uprising against God. Satan somehow managed to convince ⅓ of all God’s angels to join him in his rebellion; we now call these beings demons or fallen angels. They serve Satan and play an important role in the judgments of the Tribulation. This rebellion resulted in Lucifer being cast out of Heaven along with the angels that rebelled with him. He came to Earth, which was designated as his special province, where he became "the god of this world (2Co 4:4, NASB). The Devil later enticed Adam and Eve to do the same. The consequence of choosing to disobey God and rejecting His plan of salvation was that in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Rom 5:12)—sin separates us from God. The relationship that Adam and Eve once enjoyed with God was now severed, but God already had a plan in place to restore that relationship, which was first mentioned in Genesis 3:15. In this verse, the Seed of woman is a reference to the birth of Christ: "When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law" (Gal 4:4).

Satan employs demons—angels who fell with him in his rebellion against God—to assist him in his assault on human beings to keep them from worshipping God. Some demons, who are free and living in the spiritual realm, search for an individual to possess, as described by Jesus (Mat 12:43–45). Evidently these demons move in groups, which means more than one of them can possess a person at the same time—over 1,000 demons possessed the man of the Gerasenes (Luk 8:30). Apparently one demon is not sufficient to control a person’s behavior—the greater the number of them that possess someone, the more power they can exercise over them. Also, there are demons who are confined in the Abyss, probably for committing a great sin against God. It is these imprisoned demons who will be freed during the Tribulation to cause havoc during some of the judgments against the unrepentant living on the Earth at that time (see Chapter 4, The Tribulation).

The conflict of the ages between God and Satan is because both sought, and still seek, worship of each man and woman on Earth. It is not rare for world rulers to be controlled by Satan. History records scores of rulers who sought to make up a government contrary to the will of God. The king of Tyre was apparently under the influence of a supernatural power (Eze 28:2–3). As a righteous man, Daniel had the power of God in his life, giving him wisdom; yet the king of Tyre also had supernatural power because of Satan, which explains why that kingdom was blessed economically. God said Satan sinned and was judged for that sin: "Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones" (Eze 28:16–17). It was pride of his beauty and wisdom that caused Satan to sin. A more detailed description of this sin can be found in Isaiah 14:1–23, where we find another oracle delivered against an earthly king—on this occasion, the king of Babylon. Isaiah goes on to describe a person and experiences that transcend any mortal human being, again referring to Satan dominating the king. Satan at one time was called, "star of the morning, son of the dawn!" (Isa 14:12, NASB). Then we note his pride, for he said in his heart: "I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the ⌊gods’⌋ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High" (Isa 14:13–14).

Did God create evil? The answer is: of course not because He is holy and abhors evil! Did Satan create evil? If the Devil was God, this would be a possibility, but this is not the case—he cannot create anything. However, Satan can take what God has created and fabricate it into something evil. The Devil and his demons have done this since The Fall because that is their natural character—they convey their evil desires to mankind. Satan’s conflict with God was the beginning of his sin and has been his method to promote the evil in today’s society. God’s plan of salvation provides individuals with the opportunity to accept His gift. Scripture says, "it is not the will of your Father in Heaven that one of these little ones perish (Matt 18:14). As stated previously, God does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Pet 3:9, NASB).

Satan is an immensely powerful, malevolent spirit being whose goal is to murder and mislead mankind. He is willing to do everything he can to usurp the worship and glory that belong only to God. Ezekiel 28:13–17 provides a description of Satan. He was evidently the most beautiful creature in Heaven. He probably commanded angels before the throne of God and given dominance over Earth. He had free will, beauty, and wisdom, but somehow evil arose in him. Instead of worshipping God, Satan craved to be worshiped as God—this led to his downfall (Isa 14:12–14). Even though Satan fell somewhere between Genesis chapters 2 and 3, he still has access in the Heavenly realm (Job 1:1–2:13). In the middle of the Tribulation, he will be expelled from Heaven and cast down to Earth: "Then war broke out in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon. The Dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in Heaven any longer. So the great Dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to Earth, and his angels with him" (Rev 12:7–9).

Satan is the original sinner. Although he was created as perfect in beauty and enormous in power and wisdom, at some point he despised his position as next to God and lusted after the place of God Himself. His desire is to supplant God and to be worshiped as God. He is the guiding force behind the pagan religions of world, as the Apostle Paul made clear when he said, "No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to participate with demons! (1Co 10:20). The Devil made it clear that his ultimate goal is to be worshiped when he said to Jesus in the wilderness, I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me" (Mat 4:9).

Jesus said of Satan: "He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars (John 8:44). Satan holds the power of death" (Heb 2:14, NASB). Peter said Satan wants to destroy man by preventing him from accepting God’s plan of salvation (1Pe 5:8).

Satan has various names given in Revelation chapter 12 (NASB): 1) a "great red Dragon (v3)—he is red because he is the motivating force behind much of the world’s bloodshed and he is a dragon because he is a vicious destroyer; 2) an old Serpent (v9, KJV)—his name alludes to his first appearance in the Bible in (Gen 3:1–24), when he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, leading directly to The Fall of man; 3) the Devil" (v9)—this name means slanderer or accuser, as in v10, where he is called "the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night; 4) Satan" (v9)—this name means adversary, the enemy of all God’s people.

Satan is called "the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2, NASB) and the ruler of the world (Joh 14:30, NASB). Paul states that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14, NASB) and warns us to Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil" (Eph 6:11). The Devil is a brutally strong, immensely intelligent spirit being who is consumed by intense hatred for God and all that belongs to Him. Although human history has been a contest between the forces of good led by God and the forces of evil led by Satan, there has never been any doubt about how it will all turn