The opening of the first seal of the scroll in Revelation begins the legal transfer of power from Satan to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means."
--- Daniel 12:10 NLT
But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
God's plan, in brief, is:
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.
After the righteous are disciplined, purified, and separated from the wicked they will be raptured. This is before the 7th seal (or 7th year of the 70th week of Daniel).
Our PURPOSE is to stand firm and embrace our testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It will be difficult for us but God has promised "never to leave us or forsake us."
THE LORD'S PLAN WILL COME TO PASS.
For then there will be great tribulation (affliction, distress, and oppression) such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now—no, and never will be [again]. (Amplified version)
--- Matthew 24:21
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
--- 1 Corinthians 15:24-26
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
--- Psalm 103:19
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
--- John 16:8-11
Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Psalm 51:4
We live in a world full of fear and turmoil. Instability and chaos are all around us. Society is being upended and torn apart. Confusion and anxiety dominate much of society. Many are unsettled and unsure about their future.
Followers of Jesus look around them and are not surprised. They understand that these world events were predicted long ago in the Bible.
They know the signs of the times and discern that the world around them is beginning to resemble the
"days of Noah." (Matthew 24:37-40)
And what is happening in the world today is confirmation that the Bible is perfectly fitted together, with no shifting shadow, giving us God's perfect truth.
Bible prophecy is happening every day.
Moreover, the Bible says that the last days will be the most difficult time in all history (Matthew 24:21, Daniel 12:1).
This is sobering, but as followers of Jesus Christ, we also know that God is in control
and every detail of the end times is in His sovereign hands.
(2 Chronicles 20:6)
God has explained the end times in the Bible so that we will not be caught off guard and unready
(Matthew 24:25).
The key to making sense of the chaos and uncertainty that are in the world today is to understand God's plan and purpose for the end times. And to do that, we must dig into the word of God for understanding.
(Psalm 119:130, 2 Timothy 3:16)
God has given us all we need to know in His word.
Regarding the last days, the Bible says we must prepare our hearts and minds by being self-controlled and sober-minded. We must be alert, watchful, and prayerful while trusting the Lord and believing His word.
Matthew 26:41, Matthew 24:42, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Revelation 16:15, Revelation 3:3, 1 Peter 4:7, Luke 21:36, Luke 22:46, Proverbs 3:5, John 16:33
It will be difficult, but the Lord will sustain us.
God will make a way for us. (Psalm 55:22, Philippians 4:19)
Jesus is coming to earth to implement His victory on the cross and swallow up death.
(1 Corinthians 15:26)
God has been patiently waiting for two thousand years
(2 days per 2 Peter 3:8-9
) for people to repent and be saved.
(For more explanation of the 2000 year delay of Jesus, Click here )
But after 2 days, the time has come for the Lord to open the seven-sealed title deed of Revelation.
The title deed scroll in Revelation gives Jesus legal control of the earth, finalizing His victory and allowing Jesus to take possession.
The scroll in Revelation is a legal document, a last will and testament requiring seven seals, and can be opened only by a qualified person. All last wills during the time of Jesus were 7-sealed scrolls.
The scroll of Revelation has to be opened to implement the title deed of redemption for planet Earth.
This opening of the scroll not only allows Jesus to legally take possession of the earth but also fulfills the Abrahamic covenant.
(Genesis 12:1–3, Genesis 15:1-21)
And when no one can be found who is able to open the scroll, John cries.
(Revelation 5:4)
But then John is comforted when told that Jesus is worthy to open the scroll.
The opening of the first
seal of the scroll starts the 70th week of Daniel, which some call the 7-year tribulation, and begins God's end time plan.
and it is a perfect plan.
Once the fullness of iniquity has been reached, God's judgement will begin with the household of God
and end with His wrath on the ungodly.
2 Peter 3:9, 1 Peter 4:17, Romans 2:4, Romans 9:22, Romans 1:18
God's Purpose for the End Times
with Supporting Bible Verses
►Begins the legal transfer of power won on the cross by opening the seven-sealed scroll of Revelation.
--- Revelation 6:1-17
►Fulfills the Abrahamic covenant.
(Genesis 12:1–3, Genesis 15:1-21)
►To overcome evil and bring it to an end with God’s righteous wrath
--- Romans 1:18-19, Psalm 51:4
►To bless His children (Yes, Bless!)
If you are persecuted for Jesus, you are blessed.
-- Matthew 5:10-12, 1 Peter 4:14, Romans 5:3, James 1:12, James 1:2-3, James 5:11
►persecution is used to perfect our love for Him.
And in the last days, if you obey God's word, you will be persecuted.
But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. --- 1 John 2:5
►God is sanctifying believers through their suffering and building endurance.
---Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4
► To purify the Church:
This is God’s perfect process of refining and purifying the church to become overcomers in Christ.
..."be in holy conduct and godliness" (2 Peter 3:11)
"spotless and blameless"(2 Peter 3:14)
Many Christians have become self-focused instead of Christ-focused.
In the first year of the tribulation, Jesus scolds us saying,
"But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me]." --- Revelation 2:4 AMP
In the end times, the Lord will remove everything in our lives that we rely on more than God, causing the righteous to seek Him.
God will remove from true believers all self-centeredness, self-confidence, self-assurance, self-indulgence, self-reliance, self-ego, self-focus, self-promotion, self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, and any self-seeking or self-serving attitudes.
One of the purposes of the end times is to force all believers to rely on God instead of ourselves.
The very thing we should have been doing all along.
This is a core end time understanding.
►Test our Faith: The end times will force us to become totally dependent upon God, and this is a good thing.
--- 1 Peter 1:6-7, 1 Peter 4:12-13, Philippians 4:19, Psalm 118:8, Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Chronicles 16:11, Isaiah 41:10
►To bring in the fullness of Israel’s salvation
and restore Israel
--- Jeremiah 30:1-38, Hosea 3:4-5
To save Israel
--- Romans 11:26
Fulfill prophecy: by making them first fruits
--- Revelation 14:4, Matthew 20:16
►Separating wheat from chaff;
true believers from false believers.
Tares, especially in the early stages of growth, resemble wheat.
Likewise, a false believer may resemble a true believer.
---Matthew 3:12, Matthew 13:38
► Persecution is also used for spreading the gospel.
Increased tribulation will bring in a great harvest just like in the first century.
Historically, this has always been true, beginning with the first century martyrs and continuing to the present day, as evident in Iran and China.
Persecution is part of our testimony and an opportunity to witness to those around us.
We are called to evangelize.
Acts 14:22, 2 Corinthians 1:6-7, 2 Timothy 2:10, Luke 21:12–13, Matthew 28:19, 1 Peter 3:15, Acts 1:8, 2 Timothy 1:8, 1 John1:3
--- Luke 21:12-13
►Fulfill prophecy:
Final fulfillment of the Exodus, including plagues and the 2 witnesses.
There will also be an exodus (rapture) in the end times.
These things must take place
--- Matthew 24:6 NLT,
►To Demonstrate God's power and supreme authority, to judge man-made idols, and to proclaim His name to the whole world. In many ways, the end times will be a repeat of the first Exodus, demonstrating to the world the futility of making gods and idols.
It will show the entire world the weakness and worthlessness of their gods and the control and dominion of one true God. In the end times, God will judge the idols and those who worship them, and He will begin in the household of God.
(For more on how God will judge the gods and idols in the end times, Click here )
"But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." --- Exodus 9:16
"Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses." --- Exodus 14:31
"...and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord." --- Exodus 12:12
►End of God's patience
--- Romans 9:22-24, Ezekiel 18:23, 2 Peter 3:9-10
►To make the Lord's enemies a footstool for His feet.
--- Psalms 110:1, Hebrews 1:13, Hebrews 10:12-13, Acts 2:35
►To destroy what the Bible calls the last enemy, death.
--- 1 Corinthians 15:26
►To bring justice to the righteous and judgment to the wicked.
The last year of the tribulation will bring recompense to the wicked, redemption to the unsaved of Israel, and a favor to Christians who will be raptured into the presense of God.
The 7th year of the tribulation will begin with a day of vengeance and will be a year of recompense or pay-back to the wicked for how they treated Israel.
"For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion." --- Isaiah 34:8
"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done."
--- Revelaltion 22:12
"to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;" --- Isaiah 61:2
--- Romans 12:19, Proverbs 21:15, Isaiah 30:18, Isaiah 61:8, Hebrews 10:30, Isaiah 34:8, Isaiah 63:4, Isaiah 61:2
In the Exodus account, God's power is revealed through His mighty works such as the plagues he brings upon Egypt, his deliverance of the Israelites from slavery, and his feeding the Israelites in their desert wanderings.
In the end times, God will repeat His mighty works and His name will be proclaimed in all the earth.
And there will be a repeat exodus (rapture) for all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ delivering them from the wrath to come.
•
PERSECUTION: To Allow wickedness to increase, like in the days of Noah, causing persecution for believers and purifying the church.
•
WITNESSES: To Provide testimony to the righteousness of God and the wickedness of the world through His two witnesses and His saints, giving last-minute salvation and justifying His coming judgment.
•
RAPTURE: To Remove the righteous from the wicked by the rapture.
•
WRATH: To Give the wicked "a day of vengeance, a year of recompense."
(Isaiah 34:8)
In the end times, the wrath of God will be just like the days of Noah.
(Matthew 24:37)
The flood (God's first wrath) lasted one year and 10 days and this length will repeat in the end times:
[The flood began:
"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month" (Genesis 7:11)
and ended:
"on the 27th day of the second month of Noah's six hundred and first year" (Genesis 8:13).
Making a total of one year and 10 days and this timespan will repeat in the end times]
•
THE END: To Bring this current world to an end.
PERSECUTION:
Judgement Begins with the Household of God
(1 Peter 4:17)
(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 can be difficult for many to understand.
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
--- Hebrews 5:8
(from gotquestions.org/judgement-begins-house-God.html)
Persecution (along with greed and deception) will cause 2/3rds of those who call themselves Christians (and are not) to fall away from the faith.
(Zechariah 13:8-9)
This is also foreshadowed in the seed parable: Matthew 13:18-23.
For more detailed explanation of the Great Apostasy:
Click here
This persecution will serve to purify the Church.
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. This is the wisdom of God working.
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).
Please understand, in the end times, the primary purpose of this difficult time for the righteous is to separate the righteous from the wicked and to purify the church.
It is not condemnation of the righteous.
(Romans 8:1)
And we are not saying that this violence and persecution are a good thing, but what we are saying is that what Satan means for evil, God means for good (Genesis 50:20).
And even amid this evil, God has not forgotten us. He is still working all things "together for good to those who love Him and are called according to his purpose." --- Romans 8:28
WITNESS:
"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.
Click Here
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.
God sends His 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.
RAPTURE, WRATH, AND END
After the righteous are disciplined, purified, and separated from the wicked and they give testimony, 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
And while His plan unfolds, we must be "diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish."
-- 2 Peter 3:14, Philippians 2:14-16
And the only way for us to keep from succumbing to worldly pressures and thereby denying Jesus
is by fervent prayer and constant walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are in a spiritual battle. The world has been slowly drifting into the "days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37).
Most do not want to talk or even think about the coming adversity of the last days.
And some want to fix the world through political means.
It cannot be done.
The Antichrist spirit has permeated all aspects of our society and is getting stronger each day.
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
--- 1 John 4:3
The Antichrist spirit has control of the world.
We need to let go of the world and the things in the world.
Those who cannot let go of the world will take the mark of the beast.
For more on this, see how Satan will tempt us to take the mark of the beast in the end times:
Click here
We need to embrace the reality of the end times, let go of worldly valuables, and place our eternal lives in the hands of the LORD.
We need to cling to Jesus, not the world.
(Deuteronomy 13:4)
We need embrace the fact that persecution and hardship is coming to all those who "live godly in Christ Jesus."
--- 2 Timothy 3:12
Perilous Times:
After the rapture, the wicked will begin their judgement process ending in condemnation.
The wrath of God will be poured out on the wicked in the 7th year of the tribulation.
Many believe God's wrath will last one year and 10 days just like the flood of Noah.
The flood began "the second month, the seventeenth day of the month" (Genesis 7:11) and "in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried (Genesis 8:13,14).
The flood (the wrath of God) lasted one year and ten days (the length of a shmita, or sabbatical year).
Many believe that the last year of Daniel's 70th week will be a sabbatical year.
The significance of this lies in the fact that Feast of Trumpets (the feast associated with the rapture) and Day of Atonement (the feast associated with the second coming of Christ) are one year and ten days apart in a sabbatical year.
[It is important to note that no one knows the beginning of Feast of Trumpets since it is based on the physical sighting of the new moon over a 2 day period... no one knows the day or hour.]
The Bible calls the seven feasts God's "appointed times."
Of the seven feasts—Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Booths or Tabernacles—four have been fulfilled, and the next three will be.
SPRING FEASTS:
Passover (Pesach): Jesus crucified
Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot): Jesus buried
Feast of First Fruits (Yom HaBikkurim): Jesus resurrected
Feast of Weeks (Pentecost): Holy Spirit poured out
FALL FEASTS:
Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah): Rapture
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur): 2nd Coming
Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (Sukkot): Millennial Kingdom
Ultimately, the righteous will all stand before the judgement-seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:9-11) and be judged for their works.
Ungodly works will be burned up like "wood, hay, and stubble" (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) and "the earth and its works will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10). Godly works will remain like silver or gold tested in fire.
The righteous will not be judged for sin, it was paid for by Christ.
The wicked, however, will stand before the Great White Throne of judgement to be judged for their sin. They will receive their due penalty which is separation from God and eternal damnation in the lake of fire.
(Romans 2:5-6, Revelation 20:11-12)
And What About OUR PURPOSE in the End Times:
As the body of Christ, our testimony is part of His end time plan.
And they have conquered him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
--- Revelation 12:11
As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
--- Romans 8:36
John 16:33, Luke 14:26, Revelation 2:10, Revelation 6:9
Last days "bread crumbs" are all through the Bible and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can make sense of it all.
We can remain calm, collected, and focused to live in the center of God's perfect will during what the bible calls the worst tribulation in history. (Matthew 24:21, Daniel 12:1)
We cannot get around the reality of the end times.
We have to embrace the fact that obeying the Lord and patiently enduring while waiting for Him to come for us is the only way.
And God will use the obstacles we face, in the form of trials, temptations, persecutions, and even death, to accomplish His plan for the last days.
We have to wait patiently
for His coming and trust Him.
We will need great faith.
but remember,
God has promised not
to let go of us.
"Fear not, for I am with you;"
--- Isaiah 41:10
My sheep hear My voice....
and I give eternal life to them,
and they will never perish; and
no one will snatch them
out of My hand.
--- John 10:27-28
God's ways are not our ways.
Do not fret
"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes."
"For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land."
--- Psalm 37:7,9
It is only by embracing what lies ahead (not emotionally running from it) that we can fulfill the Lord's purpose and plan He has for each of us.
The End Times are here, but remember, the LORD is in control.
Love is growing cold and like the days of Noah, violence is increasing.
Evil will multiply, and the LORD will use it to accomplish His perfect plan to bring this world to an end and save the faithful in Christ.
The plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of His heart through all generations.
- Psalm 33:11 NIV