Even though Jesus won dominion of the earth at the cross, He has not yet taken dominion.
Satan still has dominion over the earth that he stole in the Garden.
Most people today do not understand that at the time of Jesus, ALL title deeds of inheritance
were scrolls with seven seals.
The scroll with seven seals in Revelation is the title deed of inheritance to earth, which finalizes Jesus taking dominion of earth.
Jesus cannot complete His victory on the cross until the will of inheritance, the title
deed to earth is opened. That is why John cries when no one is found worthy to open the scroll.
This is a core understanding.
To learn more about the Scroll in Revelation,
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But as Jesus opens each seal of the title deed (the seven seals of Revelation) to take dominion of the earth, Satan stirs up deceit, conflict, destruction, and turmoil in response to each opened seal using false prophets, false messiahs, economic collapse, and even AI technology.
The opening of the seals and what happens in response to the seals opening are different events!
Jesus opens the seals, but Satan, in his anger, causes a response to each seal opening because Satan does not want the seals opened.
This is a core understanding.
The first four seals result in the four horsemen of Revelation: to Conquer with False Peace, to make War, to cause Economic Collapse, to cause Death.
God does not cause this trouble on the world, but He uses all of the distress of the tribultion for His own purposes.
God always acts in accordance with what is right, true, and good.
We must always remember that God is in total control of the end times, and the ultimate outcome of His plan is our blessed hope.
(Titus 2:13)
We need to understand that what Satan means for evil, God means for good. And we need to remind ourselves that our Lord is always working for our good and His glory, no matter the circumstances.
(Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28)
God allows chaos and difficulty over the whole Earth, removing self-reliance, and forcing those on the earth to make the choice to either seek help from "the world" or from God.
In essence, God uses the turmoil in the world to reveal each person's true self; to give the wicked and the righteous the opportunity to show their true colors.
This is how God separates the wheat from the tares, believers from unbelievers.
For we know,
"...the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,"
--- 2 Peter 2:9
From natural disasters to man-made economic colapse to war, the entire world will be is shambles.
God allows all "worldly" things to be broken down, especially things that people rely on more than God Himself. These "worldly things" are idols or gods that mankind has made.
This is foreshadowed in
Exodus 12:12: "and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments."
The entire Exodus story is a foreshadowing of the end times. The Pharaoh is a picture of the Antichrist.
The judgments in the Exodus story will happen again in the end times. God saving His people by parting the Red Sea is a picture of the rapture.
To learn more about God removing "idols and gods" in the end times,
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The overall effect of this turmoil in the world divides all people into two groups.
Those that love God and run to Him in times of trouble, and those who do NOT love God and blame Him
in times of trouble.
And those who blame God will, by extension, blame His followers, leading to increased persecution of Christians.
(John 15:18-21)
This has always been the case and God in His wisdom uses it to purify the Church in the end times.
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PERSECUTION:
to Purify the Church
God allows wickedness to increase, like in the days of Noah, causing persecution for believers and a great falling away from the faith.
This falling away will be pretend Christians who did not have true faith in Jesus Christ in the face of persecution.
This walking away from the faith will purify the Church.
God allows persecution and suffering in the end times for His purpose.
Judgment Begins with the Household of God (1 Peter 4:17)
God allows difficulties and suffering in the lives of His people to purify them. When we are persecuted for the cause of Christ, we share in His sufferings.
(1 Peter 4:13–14, Philippians 1:29)
And when we share His suffering, we know Him a little better (Philippians 3:10). Paul echoes this theme:
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." --- Romans 8:17
Part of God's judgement upon sin is physical suffering. When His own children experience such suffering, it is not for our harm but to make us more like Jesus. "Judgement" for the children of God can be considered discipline.
"But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world." --- 1 Corinthians 11:32 NASB
"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives."
--- Hebrews 12:5-6 NASB
For a believer, persecution and suffering are designed to purge sin from our lives and teach us obedience, drawing us closer to the LORD.
This Biblical principle is difficult for most Christians to understand.
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
--- Hebrews 5:8
God uses the tribulation to separate the sheep from the goats, and the wheat from the tares, true believers from false believers, and the righteous from the wicked.
It is a winnowing process that will take the form of persecution for the righteous.
GOD ALLOWS DIFFICULTIES AND SUFFERING
in the lives of the righteous to purify the church and draw us closer to Him, sharing in His sufferings (Philippians 3:10-11, 1 Peter 4:13-14, Romans 8:17).
The Lord also uses this as discipline to bring us to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10) and teach us patience and endurance (James 1:2-4, 2 Timothy 2:12).
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TESTIMONY:
to Witness to the World
1. Two Witnesses:
God sends His two witnesses (probably Moses and Elijah)
to testify to the righteousness of God and the wickedness of the world and justifying God's coming judgment
after all the seals have been broken.
"A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established." --- Deuteronomy 19:15
"And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." --- Revelation 11:3
In the last days, God sends two witnesses to give testimony on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
To learn more about the two witnesses in the end times.
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They will probably come about the time of the abomination of desolation at the mid-point of the tribulation and will have specific purpose in the end times. Moses and Aaron's appearance before Pharoah in the Exodus was a foreshadowing of these witnesses.
The Purpose of God's Two Witnesses:
1. to call the wicked to repentance as indicated by them wearing sackcloth (Revelation 11:3).
2. to testify and prophesy against the antichrist and sin for 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3, Revelation 11:6).
3. to testify that Jesus Christ is God's Son and that He is LORD of Lords and KING or KINGS. (Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16)
They are the perfect witnesses since they were (I believe) eyewitnesses to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
4. to encourage believers to give their testimony of Jesus Christ even when facing death.
(Revelation 12:11)
5. to justify the coming judgment on the wicked.
2. The Persecuted Church Will Witness to the Lost and Be a Testimony to the World:
In the last days, the Lord will use believers to witness to the lost after using
world chaos to place unbelievers in a position to hear the gospel.
This persecution will purify the Church for the work that lies ahead, giving testimony to
the world.
And God uses the purified church to evangelize the lost in the last days.
Even a Christians's persecution becomes a testimony to bring the unbeliever to Christ.
And YES, even our martrydom is a testimony to bring salvation to the lost.
This is a core understanding of the end times
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RAPTURE:
to Remove the Righteous
God will remove the righteous from the earth by the rapture before pouring out His wrath upon the wicked. This will be right before or right after the opening of the seventh seal.
After the righteous are disciplined, purified, and separated from the wicked, and they give testimony, bringing many to salvation in Christ, they will be raptured. I believe this will be before the 7th seal or the 7th year of the 70th week of Daniel.
"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." --- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
"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 imperishable, and we shall be changed." --- 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
After the rapture, the wrath of God will fall upon the unrighteous for about one year.
"for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" --- Revelation 6:17
After about one year of wrath, the Lord will return to put an end to the ungodly and begin
the millennial kingdom, the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." --- Matthew 24:14
"Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle." --- Zechariah 14:3
