Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Friday March 6, 2015
1. We have now completed the reason WHY we have prophecy, as it relates to 1CO 1:22, 1PE 3:15, and our responsibility because of 1Co 12..
2. WHERE the prophecies are that God predicted in the Old Testament.
EPH 3:1-6; COL 1:25-27; ROM 16:25-26, all make it crystal clear that the Church, the body of Christ, the future bride of Christ was a mystery and was not known in the O.T.
COL 1:25-27, Of this church [CA] I was made a minister according to the dispensation from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery doctrine which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has NOW been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
ROM 16:25-26, Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, BUT NOW is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;
The Church could not have been in view in the O.T. prophecies which deal with the dispensation of the Law and then the dispensation of the H.U., the Tribulation, and the Millennial reign which is about to come upon the whole earth.
Beginning of CA--- M.D. ---Termination or the Rapture (CA)
We are entering a period of time about which the Bible says more than any other time in human history, including the time when TLJC walked upon the face of this earth as the God-man and that period of time is what call the Tribulation Period.
REV 3:10 "that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth."
Three of the major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, all agree and say that it will be a time of the Lord's indignation.
We are not waiting for any events to take place except the Rapture at which time all members of the Church in heaven in an interim body will receive their resurrection body and those on the earth in their human body will all receive their resurrection body as well.
1TH 4:16-17, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.
The Tribulation period starts with the Resurrection of the Church and it terminates with the Second Advent or the Second coming of TLJC.
We have the Rapture and the Second Advent and in-between, we have a short 7 year period called the Tribulation period.
"Abomination" - bdelugma = something that is disgusting and is oftentimes associated with that which is defiling andor idolatrous.
In the Hebrew, the meaning is the same and is associated with pagan idols or the worship of false gods.
The word "desolation" means to be in a condition that is uninhabitable and devastated.
In all biblical uses, the term can be understood as the "abomination causing the desolation."
The term "holy place" is found in only one other place in the New Testament (Acts 21:28) and refers to the Temple in Jerusalem. Psalm 24:3 also identifies the temple as the holy place of God.
Many Theologians believe he will be of Roman descent and may even have ties with Islam and the Muslims, and is identified as the Antichrist.
The Apostle Paul describes the "end times Tribulation period" and gives his readers an interesting sign of that period that concerns the Antichrist and the blasphemy he commits.
1. The Greek noun apostasia, usually translated " apostasy," can be a reference to a great falling away from the faith and in some translations it is translated rebellion.
2. The second meaning is that the word apostasia is translated a departure with reference to the rapture and should be translated "the departure."
It is a noun and not a verb and it has a definite article in front of it which says that it refers to an event, it is called "ho apostasia" or "the departure".
What Paul may be saying here is that "the falling away" or "the departure of the Church must come before the tribulation.
The first seven English translations of apostasia all rendered the noun as either " departure" or " departing."
Grammatical rule = since the Greek language does not need an article to make the noun definite, it becomes clear that with the usage of the article reference is being made to something in particular.
"the departure" that previously referred to was' our being gathered to him' (verse 1) and our being ' caught up' with the Lord and the raptured dead in the clouds (1TH 4:17).
TLJC will come back in the clouds of the air with all those who are in heaven and gather those of us who are alive on this earth who are a part of the Church and we will all meet in the clouds of the air.
2TH 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so‑called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
This abomination also agrees with what the Apostle John describes in REV 13:5, when the Antichrist and the time given him to rule, will 42 months.
REV 13:5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty‑two months was given to him. = 42 months represents 3 12 years!
This agrees with DAN 9:27, which says the Antichrist will break his treaty with Israel in the middle of the seven year tribulation period.
DAN 9:27 "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week [in prophecy a week = 7 years - so in the middle of the Tribulation or 3 12 years into it]
he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."
This means the one that God has decreed to do this, will do it.
This decree is what God allows to happen not what He prefers or desires.
This also matches up with DAN 12:11 which says that there will be 1,290 days (approximately 3.5 years) before the abomination of desolation occurs.
DAN 12:11 "And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
John also explains that an image of the Antichrist will be constructed and those on the earth will be forced to worship it: REV 13:14-15.
By the signs that the false prophet is allowed to work in the presence of the Antichrist, he will deceive those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast or the Antichrist who supposedly was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
It was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast, the Antichrist, to be slain.
It is possible and even probable that this image could be set up in God's rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and could be what Paul refers to rather than the Antichrist actually seated there in person.
The abomination of desolation is that it will be the Antichrist, three and a half years into his reign, taking a place in God's rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and saying to the world that he is God and must be worshipped as God.
When that occurs, the real Creator will respond to the challenge and will ultimately and eternally destroy the Antichrist (REV 19:20).
REV 19:20 And the beast [Antichrist] was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
Satan is a mimic and impersonator. One way he deceives people is by putting forward inferior copies of the real thing.
He will play the part of God the Father; the Antichrist will stand in for the Son, even to the point of being healed of a "mortal wound" (REV 13:3); and the False Prophet will take the role of the Holy Spirit, glorifying the Antichrist.
Satan has always wanted to be "like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14), and this false godhead is another attempt to fabricate godhood for himself.
The Antichrist is also discussed in Rev 12 and 13, but there he is pictured as the first of two beasts; the Antichrist is "the beast" that comes "out of the sea." The name "Antichrist" is only used in 1Jo and 2Jo.
1. The Antichrist is coming: "Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour" (1JO 2:18).
2. The Antichrist denies the Father and the Son: "Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son" (1JO 2:22).
3. The spirit of the Antichrist denies Jesus is from God: "Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already" (1JO 4:3).
4. The Antichrist denies Jesus came in a physical body: "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist" (2JO 1:7).
REV 13:1-8 describe the Antichrist's activities:
During a 42-month period (half of the future seven-year tribulation), this Antichrist will serve as a global leader who blasphemes God, His name, and heaven.
Empowered by Satan himself, he will persecute the "saints" (probably people who turn to Christ during the tribulation period) and "conquer" them (resulting in the deaths of many believers).