Unveiling Eternity: A Simple and Concise Approach to a Pre-Tribulation View of End Times

By Joy Karanick Roach

The author untangles a complicated topic and makes it clear and understandable. Filled with illustrative charts, Unveiling Eternity discloses the events of the end times in a simple, chronological, and organized manner. Written in a conversational voice, the author creates a personalized instructional and easy to digest experience for the reader. Referenced Scriptures have been written out into the text to prevent cumbersome back and forth searching from the book to the Bible. Chapters end with a section called Recommended Activities, which serves as a guide for deeper exploration. Much more than a book of the end times, Unveiling Eternity informs the reader on how to interpret the Scriptures using a scholarly methodology. Multiple resources are suggested throughout to aid in further examination of the given focus. An excellent foundational yet profound study for those who have little time to perform the vast amount of research needed to grasp this topic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664202603

Joy Karanick Roach

A powerful voice to the nations, Joy answered the ecumenical and prophetic call to share God’s message of redemption to the world. She served as a Commander in the United States Navy Nurse Corps but after her retirement, she accepted Christ as her personal Savior. Upon God’s leading she returned to school. She holds a Master of Theology, Master of Cross Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Andersonville Theological Seminary. Under the pen name, Chara Vovou, she authored Called to the Uttermost: A Missionary’s Story of How to Identify God’s Call and Thrive in the Extreme whereby she presents details her life’s story, her call and work in the mission field. She has over five years of Television experience. She hosted live on an Arabic TV station that broadcasts in 52 countries into all North America and the Middle East reaching millions all over the world.

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Copyright © 2020 Joy Karanick Roach.

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 author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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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.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0261-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0262-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0260-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020916006

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/26/2020

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to Lois Busby, my late mom’s long time

friend and prayer partner. Thank you for your meticulous

review and feedback in the midst of all your current

circumstances. Your heart to serve the Lord inspires me.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My profound appreciation to my beloved husband,

Stephen D. Roach. We labor together as

we endeavor to fulfill God’s

will and purpose in our lives.

You are a blessing to me beyond what I ever

prayed for and dreamed possible.

Thank you to Patti and Sue.

Thank you to all my family and friends who

encouraged me and supported this work.

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Chapter 1 Blessing

Chapter 2 Interpreting Revelation

Chapter 3 ‘Apokalupsis’

Chapter 4 Various Views

Chapter 5 The Church Age

Chapter 6 The Rapture

Chapter 7 Concerning Deaths And Resurrections

Chapter 8 Rewards And Punishments

Chapter 9 The Tribulation

Chapter 10 The Unholy Trinity

Chapter 11 The Battle Of Armageddon

Chapter 12 The Second Coming

Chapter 13 The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb

Chapter 14 The Millennium

Chapter 15 The Battle Of Gog And Magog

Chapter 16 The Great White Throne Judgment

Chapter 17 The New Heaven And New Earth

Recommended Reading

Useful Websites

INTRODUCTION

We often hear people talk about the end of time as if that is the end for us. Actually, it is the beginning of our eternity. What is meant by eternity and where is it found in the Bible? Eternity is what exists outside of time, it means infinite and unending. When time ends, eternity begins and will continue forever and ever. Apostle Paul spoke to it in Philippians 1:21-24 and First Thessalonians 4: 13-18. The word eternity in English is only mentioned once in the King James Version Bible (Isaiah 57:15). In Hebrew it is the word "ad ". There are forty-nine references that have been translated as everlasting, end, ever, evermore, old, perpetually. However the terms eternal life, everlasting life, and for ever and ever are mentioned numerous times throughout the scriptures.

REFERENCED SCRIPTURES

237.png Isaiah 57:15, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

237.png Philippians 1:21-24, "²¹For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. ²³ For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: ²⁴ Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you."

237.png First Thessalonians 4:13-18, "¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

When this current heaven and earth have served their purpose, life in this world will be over but our eternal life begins. Where we spend our eternity is a choice we make in our natural or current life on earth. That sounds abstract yet it is our reason for living. We are given an opportunity in this life to choose where we will spend our eternal life. God makes every effort to reveal Himself to us so that we will choose Him and choose life.

God is patient. His wrath and destruction are His last resort. God spoke the world into existence and He will end this world by devastation. Jesus Christ, the incarnate manifestation of the Lord God Almighty was born of a virgin purposed to bring salvation to a sinful people. On that Palm Sunday before His death and resurrection, Jesus rode in on a donkey as a humble King of Peace and Redemption. However, upon His return He will come in vengeance and His wrath will bring ultimate justice. He has prepared a better place for those who love and obey His will. For those who deny Christ, He has prepared an eternal place of fire and brimstone.

237.png Matthew 21:5, "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass."

237.png John 14:1-3, "¹Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

237.png Revelation 21:8, But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Difficult to hear? Of course! Yet, God has given us the road map. He has given us the choice. We alone must choose our path. It is not abstract, conceptual, unintelligent, or foolish. It is real! It is truth!

Many people seem hesitant to read the Bible and especially the book of Revelation for one reason or another. Some say they don’t believe it, some say they are afraid, while others say they just can’t understand it. I fell into the latter. I just couldn’t understand Revelation. Hence, I began my study years ago and it continues as a long learning process. First, I called a friend who is an expert on the book and I asked for ‘one on one’ lessons. She was amazing and helped me tremendously. Eschatology is the study of end times, death and eternal things. She has written a workbook with an instructor’s guide on an introduction to eschatology. Mary L. Page calls her work Blessings in the Book: A Study Guide for the Book of Revelation. I needed simple and straightforward information and she sat with me for hours upon hours pouring into me and giving all that she had.

I realized that I was not the only one who couldn’t understand the events of the end times. I discovered that the end times are referenced throughout the Bible, not just in the Book of Revelation. Also, the end time events are not written in chronological order. They are scattered throughout creating yet another level of difficulty.

Another guide that helped me tremendously is a brochure The Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Panorama of Prophecy by Dr. David Jeremiah and the Turning Point Ministry. It is a brilliant visual of the sequence of the end time events.

A third helpful guide was A Tribulation Map by Leon Bates and can be found on www.bbea.org. Look for English Tribulation Map under the resources tab.

The objective of this work is to provide a simple introduction in a concrete, organized, and linear approach for those who struggle as they seek to understand. Copious amounts of information exist on this topic but without a basic introduction one can become totally overwhelmed. I believe this book will organize the information in a fundamental and concise fashion that it will incite your desire for further study. My purpose is not to explain every event in its totality. Rather, I intend to provide a succinct introduction to aid your deeper search and study. In other words, I wish this to be step one to many steps into your study of the end times. I have provided several recommendations for further study and multiple resources to assist you.

I have chosen to examine one view, the Pre-Tribulation view, because this is my belief and understanding of scripture. However, even within this view, there are many opposing views.

For those of us who find it difficult to travel back and forth between the Bible and a book trying to locate the Scripture and then finding the place in the book again, I have supported my comments with the Scriptures referenced written directly into the text. The bullet statements marked with a cross indicate a Biblical quote from a referenced Bible verse placed directly into the text. Hopefully this will make it easier to quickly read without having to flip back and forth from the Bible to this book.

Reading the Word of God will always be a learning experience and a never-ending study of faith and understanding. Enjoy your journey.

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES

1. Read the Book of Revelation at least once.

2. Locate the brochure The Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Panorama of Prophecy by Dr. David Jeremiah. Read and meditate upon it.

3. Find the Tribulation map on www.bbea.org and read it.

PERSONAL NOTES

CHAPTER ONE

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BLESSING

How could anyone be afraid to read the book of Revelation? Revelation 1:3 expresses there is a blessing in reading, hearing, and keeping these words of prophecy.

237.png Revelation 1:3, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

The word blessed is the Greek word ‘makarios’ in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #3107***. It is important to note that the New Testament was written in Greek so we must understand the English translated words in their original language. Translated from the Greek to English as blessed or happy this word seems very straightforward and simplistic until we study the word further. It gives the implication that God extends His benefits to you or that believers are in a fortunate position to receive God’s blessing. God generously gives His grace and favor toward you.

The word ‘makarios’ is used fifty times in the New Testament and seven times in the book of Revelation: Revelation 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; and 22:14. Matthew and Luke use the word often in their Gospels. John uses it twice, but Mark does not use it at all. Why is that important? First, a basic understanding of how words are used gives the reader better idea of what the scripture is really saying. Secondly, it allows the reader to fully explore how the word is used throughout the scriptures. That allows for comparison and contrast, as well as, identification of common threads and patterns. Thirdly, it encourages the reader to ask questions. A question like, Why did John use the word and Mark did not? or What is the significance? may prompt a more in depth study of a concept or idea.

We often think of being blessed as having riches or being powerful. However, when Matthew reflects on the words of Jesus used in the beatitudes, he refers to those who are not at the top but at the bottom. Matthew 5:5 reads, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. A chart at the end of this chapter displays the beatitudes of Matthew and the blessings of Revelation.

Blessed (makarios) is an adjective not a verb. It describes a state of joy and freedom, a state of enjoyment and well-being that does not depend on our circumstances. It describes freedom from daily worries and care because our circumstances are in His hands. That is a blessing.

As you read the book of Revelation, remember this Divine blessing. For believers, knowing the outcome of repentance and living a righteous life is that you are in His care and you need not worry. You have assurance knowing the Almighty God favors you, watches over you, guides, leads, and provides for you. You experience an inner state of bliss and peace for yourself but a resilient concern for those who don’t know God.

There is yet another blessing you acquire while reading the Book of Revelation. We recognize the purpose of Revelation reveals the person, power, and plan of Jesus Christ. Revelation tells us so much about who Jesus is. There is a blessing in knowing Jesus personally. I have found at least twenty-three descriptions of Jesus. Here are a few of them. He is called Jesus Christ in Revelation 1:1. He is the Root of David in 5:5, the Lion of Judah in 5:5, the Slain Lamb in 5:6, the Angry Lamb in 6:16-17, and the Tender Lamb in 7:17. He is the Faithful Witness in Revelation 1:5. He is the Alpha and Omega in 1:8. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords in 19:16, and the Faithful and True in Revelation 19:11. This is only a partial listing. One of the activities for you is to find at least twenty-three descriptions of Jesus in the Book of Revelation. You will need resources to help you do this. One is the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

What is a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance?

***Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is a book written by James Strong, which lists every word of the King James Bible and every time it appears. The scripture for each reference is listed on the sideline. The reason is because the English word in one verse may be a totally different Greek or Hebrew word in another verse. Remember that the original languages of the Bible are Greek and Hebrew and some Aramaic. The exhaustive concordance means that it provides the original Hebrew or Greek definition for each word. A number is assigned to each word also on the side. That number is used to locate the word in the original Hebrew or Greek in the dictionaries found in the back of the book. If it is not an exhaustive concordance, such as the one in the back of your Bible, there will be no Greek or Hebrew definitions and usually it will not be a complete list of each word of the Bible and each time it occurs.

It will look something like this order:

***(Other concordances are used for other versions such as the NIV Bible. Not all versions have a corresponding concordance. I use the KJV accompanying Strong’s Concordance since he was the first to do this work and it is more familiar. I study with many versions of the Bible but when I look up words in the original language I start here. This is why I used KJV in this book but you will want to read other versions.

BEATITUDES COMPARED

REVELATION & MATTHEW

Notice from this chart the blessings in Revelation compared to the

beatitudes or blessings in Matthew.