Knowing the Order of the Events Is Not Enough: We Must Be Prepared
Introduction: An Overview of What Is Coming
The subject before us is the second coming of Jesus. It is a broad subject, and it will not be exhausted in a single study. Those who have followed this series will have noticed the way we have been working: from the greatest to the most specific, from the superlative to the smallest. For that reason, in this teaching we will not yet go into the details or the specific characteristics of how the coming of Jesus will unfold; we will do that in the next teaching. What we will study now is an overview of the events, so that we may be clear about how they develop.
We already have an outline, a spiritual map, which we took from 2 Thessalonians 2. With that map in hand, we now turn to what will happen at the coming of Jesus: four clearly marked events that we will all see and of which we will all be aware.
Why We Are Studying This Subject
Why are we studying this? It is important that we understand. We study it because we, men and women who walk in revelation, cannot walk in confusion, cannot walk in ignorance, and cannot walk in naivety. Notice the three words well: confusion, ignorance, and naivety. A man of God or a woman of God cannot walk in any of these three.
Knowing the Order of the Events Does Not Guarantee That We Will Take Part in Them
Before entering into the events, something must be said with complete clarity, and it deserves repeating because it is indispensable: the fact that we know the order of the events does not guarantee that we, personally, individually, will take part in them.
On one occasion someone told me that, in that case, one can have a fairly close idea of when Jesus is going to come. I answered yes, that this is exactly the point, and that this is precisely why it is written that one can know when the Lord is coming. In the previous teaching we read Matthew 24, which speaks of the parable of the fig tree, and its purpose is clearly that we may know when Jesus is coming. But the fact that we know does not guarantee that we will take part in the events of His coming. Why? Let us open our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 15:
“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34, NKJV)
Many times, and particularly with the subject of the second coming, we look at the events as signs: if I have this sign and that sign, I know that the Lord is coming soon; therefore I have knowledge that He is coming. But that does not assure us that we will take part. The signs of when Jesus will be manifested do not guarantee our participation. What does guarantee it? That our lives be subject to the will of the Lord. A man or a woman can have the knowledge, but if his or her life is not subject to the will of the Lord, knowledge does not assure participation in the events.
Everyone will see Him, because the Word of the Lord says that every eye will see Him. But it is not about seeing; it is about entering. John 3, in verses 3 and 5, establishes a difference regarding spiritual growth. In verse 3, Jesus says to Nicodemus:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3, NKJV)
But in verse 5 He says:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5, NKJV)
There is a difference: it is not about seeing, it is about entering; it is about being part of the work of Jesus on the face of the earth. That is achieved only when the man, the woman, the young man, and the young woman are subject to the Lord. Whoever has the knowledge but is not subject to the will of the Lord does not take part.
I must begin with this precisely because the subject lends itself to identifying the events as if they were signs: sign one, sign two, sign three, sign four; now this is coming, now that is coming, and so I am warned. But it is not about being warned; it is about being prepared, that is, about being subject to the will of the Lord.
First Event: Death Is Subdued
The first event is that death is subdued. Death will no longer be established upon the face of the earth. What does this mean? That at the coming of Jesus, men and women will no longer die. And when I say men and women, I mean everyone. Let us not think only of the men and women of God, because when Jesus comes, not everyone will be saved. There will be millions of people in the world who will not be saved and who will nevertheless continue living on the face of the earth; but not even they will die. Let us read 1 Corinthians 15, from verse 22 through verse 26, with emphasis on verse 26:
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-26, NKJV)
At the coming of Jesus, then, death ceases to operate. The final point of death is the coming of Jesus. Let us now turn to Revelation 21:4:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, NKJV)
The first event, therefore, that is to take place precisely at the coming of Christ Jesus is that death will be removed. No more deaths will take place on the face of the earth. I repeat it so that it may be perfectly clear, because someone might think we are speaking only of men and women of God: we are speaking of all humanity. Not everyone who remains at the coming of Jesus will be saved. There will be many millions of people throughout the whole world who will not partake of salvation, but who will continue to inhabit the various countries where each one lives; only they will no longer be able to die.
Second Event: Satan Is Bound for a Thousand Years
The second event is that Satan is bound for a thousand years. Let us read the first three verses of Revelation 20:
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.” (Revelation 20:1-3, NKJV)
The text says it clearly: for a space of a thousand years, beginning at the coming of Jesus, Satan will be bound. How long are those years? The same length as the years we count today. Jesus will reign over the earth for a thousand years. This means that the earth is not destroyed at the coming of Jesus, as it is sometimes portrayed in certain films, certain visual productions, and even certain songs. A thousand more years will pass, counted the same way we count them today, during which Christ Jesus will reign. That is what the Word of the Lord establishes.
Let us now go to verse 7 of the same chapter, and then to verse 10:
“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.” (Revelation 20:7-8, NKJV)
“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10, NKJV)
As we can see, verse 8 says that Satan will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth. That means that at the coming of Jesus there will be millions of people who have not repented and who, even though they see Him coming in the clouds, will not turn to Jesus, but will remain that way for a thousand years. Let us remember that the first event is that death disappears; therefore all those people no longer die, and during all that time they remain opposed to Jesus.
In this same passage of Revelation 20 we also see that death is cast into the furnace of fire and brimstone, which is the final destiny of the false prophet, of the antichrist, and of Satan. Death is cast into that furnace as well. That means that death is a spiritual being; it is, in reality, an angel. So we have the first two events.
A Different Order on Earth During the Millennium
The Word also speaks of a new heaven and a new earth, a new creation that comes after the thousand years. But during those thousand years, in which the government of Christ Jesus is established on the face of the earth, there will be a different way of living, a different order. Today there are predatory animals, that is, animals that eat other animals. During that period of time there will be no more predators. This is something we will look at a little further along, but we mention it now. Let us read Isaiah 65:25:
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, says the LORD.” (Isaiah 65:25, NKJV)
The wolf and the lamb will be together: the wolf will not eat the lamb, and the lion will eat straw; it will not prey.
It is important that we understand this, because a man or woman of God who walks in revelation has to come out of confusion. Today many philosophies have appeared, and unfortunately there are men and women of God who embrace this kind of philosophy, which is not grounded in the Word of the Lord.
There are other biblical references worth pointing out, since we are at this point. All the nations of the earth will be required to travel to Jerusalem once a year, at the Feast of Tabernacles, which some know as the Feast of Booths, a feast of autumn. The nations or peoples who refuse to travel to Jerusalem will find that, according to the Word, there will be no rain on their land the following year. There is also another reference: the Word teaches that there will be fruits established by God for the healing of the nations. The formation of the world will be completely different; a completely different order will be established from the one we are living in now. During the thousand years, all the nations will be governed by the direction of Jesus. Everything that is established among the nations will be determined by Jesus. Let us read Zechariah 14:17-21:
“And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In that day ‘HOLINESS TO THE LORD’ shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 14:17-21, NKJV)
The Lord Will Establish Rulers Over the Nations
This brings us to a third point: the nations will not choose their own rulers, as they do now, when each nation elects its ruler every so often. At the coming of Jesus, during the thousand years, it is Jesus who will establish men and women of God to govern those nations. To confirm this, let us review three texts: Luke 19:17, 2 Timothy 2:12, and Revelation 5:10. The first says:
“Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” (Luke 19:17, NKJV)
This is a parable, but the parable establishes teaching, and it is prophetic teaching. Unfortunately, when we approach the Word we do not see the prophetic; what we see is a philosophical influence. There are many men and women who go to study hermeneutics and, because of the study of hermeneutics, limit the way they understand the Holy Scriptures: they understand that the text is speaking metaphorically, symbolically, or typologically, which are the ways people today try to interpret biblical texts. But here the Lord, speaking prophetically, says plainly: have authority over ten cities. What matters is that we understand that, at the coming of Jesus, in the millennium, the nations will not govern themselves or choose their own rulers. It is the Lord who will establish the government and who will place over them those whom He chooses in His mercy, but also those who prepared themselves to be subject to the will of the Lord. Let us look at the second text:
“If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” (2 Timothy 2:12, NKJV)
It is perfectly clear, and it is not a metaphor; it is the reality of what is going to happen. Many times our vision is very short: what many of us are seeking is to escape hell and live for eternity, no matter how. That is not the attitude of a man of faith or of a woman of faith. That is why we said at the beginning that not everyone who knows the order of the events will take part in them. The third text says:
“And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10, NKJV)
It is perfectly clear: we shall reign on the earth. But I must tell you that it is not everyone. From among all those who are raised at the last trumpet, at the coming of Jesus, God will choose men, women, young people, and children—because there will also be children at the coming of Jesus—those who were diligent in fulfilling the Word. It is not a matter of saying, from today on, “Forget it, I am going to be reigning over a city, or two cities, or three, or a town, or a state.” We are not saying that. What we are saying is that those who were worthy during their lives, who put the Word into practice, submitted themselves to it, and walked under the lordship of the Lord, will be chosen to govern certain nations.
But if today we cannot say no to sin, if today we cannot say no to temptation, if today we cannot say no to curiosity, if today we cannot say no to snooping around on social media, let us not expect the Lord to consider us candidates to govern cities. It is very important that we understand this: here each one of us is classifying himself or herself. It is not only salvation that is at stake; at stake is the participation of each man and each woman within the kingdom of heaven.
Third Event: The Resurrection of the Dead in Christ Jesus
We said at the beginning that at the coming of Jesus there are four events, and we have seen two: death disappears as an existential reality, and Satan is bound for a thousand years. The third event is the resurrection of the dead in Christ Jesus. By this I mean those who departed from this earth having confessed and walked under the lordship of Christ Jesus. Listen carefully to what I am saying: I am speaking of men, women, young men, young women, and children who departed from this earth but who walked under the lordship of Christ Jesus. Not every Christian. Notice this well, because it is very important: there are Christians who will not rise in the first resurrection. There are many men and women who took part in a church, who attended a church, who could even have been leaders or deacons, and who will not take part in the first resurrection.
The resurrection from among the dead is precisely the reward that God gives to the man and the woman for having walked faithfully under the lordship of Christ Jesus. I emphasize it: not every Christian, simply because he is a Christian, because he was a member of a church, or because he had a ministry, takes part in the first resurrection if he did not walk under the lordship of Christ Jesus. As a reference we have Matthew 7:21, which I cite many times:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21, NKJV)
That is why we are so emphatic. Perhaps at times we strike hard with what we say, but it is what the Word of the Lord establishes. Let us read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14:
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NKJV)
There is the resurrection of the dead. Let us now see 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, which also speaks of it:
“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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, NKJV)
The third event that takes place at the coming of Jesus is, then, the resurrection of the dead in Christ Jesus. Included here as well are the righteous of the Old Testament, because all of them were evangelized. When? When Jesus gave up His spirit and descended into the depths of the earth, to Abraham’s bosom, and gathered all those who were there. This appears in Matthew 27, where some come out and appear: they were being transferred from Abraham’s bosom, which is in the depths of the earth, to the presence of God. They were evangelized directly by Jesus. Thus, in the first resurrection, which is known as the resurrection of those who departed from this earth in Christ Jesus, both the dead in Christ and the righteous of the Old Testament rise at the coming of Jesus.
Fourth Event: The Transformation of Those Who Are Alive
Let us return to 1 Thessalonians 4 to see the fourth event, beginning at verse 15:
“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will 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.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, NKJV)
Let us underline the expression together with them. The fourth event is the transformation of those who are alive and walking under the lordship of Christ Jesus: we shall be changed so that, together with those who rise from their graves, we may gather and go up together into the clouds. The angels will do this: it is not that we begin to rise on our own, but that the angels will lift us up and carry us to the clouds to meet the Lord. This appears in Matthew 24:30, where the Lord sends His angels to gather His elect.
The third and fourth events are, therefore, two parallel events. The dead in Christ rise from the grave, from the place where they were buried; and even if a cemetery no longer exists, because some cemeteries have disappeared, they will rise from that very place. At the same time that those multitudes are rising, those of us who are alive, says the apostle Paul, will undergo a transformation. This body will be transformed, and we will have the same body that Jesus had after the resurrection. Those who rise and those of us who are alive acquire the body that Jesus had when He rose. Let us read 1 Corinthians 15:53-57:
“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus the Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:53-57, NKJV)
Here we have the fourth event. The dead in Christ and the righteous of the Old Testament are raised, but they do not begin to ascend; they wait for those of us who are alive to be transformed. It all happens in the twinkling of an eye. We will not lose consciousness, or memory, or knowledge; we will be aware of what is happening in our body. Then the angels descend to take us, and, all together now, we go up to meet the Lord, who has descended and remained in the air.
The Descent to the Mount of Olives and the Beginning of the Thousand Years
When we are all gathered with the Lord, let us go to the Old Testament, to the book of the prophet Zechariah, chapter 14, verses 3 and 4:
“Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south.” (Zechariah 14:3-4, NKJV)
There we all descend, because the purpose is not to remain in the heavens. When we have been lifted up by the angels—the resurrected and those of us who are alive—to meet the Lord in the clouds, together we descend to the Mount of Olives, and from that moment the thousand years begin to be counted.
The Marriage of the Lamb
The thousand years begin with the marriage of the Lamb. The marriage of the Lamb takes place in Jerusalem; it is not in heaven. At the beginning of the thousand years, when we have descended on the Mount of Olives, we enter Jerusalem, and from that moment, in the millennium, the marriage of the Lamb takes place. Let us read Revelation 19:5-9:
“Then a voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!’ And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’” (Revelation 19:5-9, NKJV)
The marriage of the Lamb, then, is in Jerusalem and at the beginning of the thousand years. What will be happening in the meantime in the world? We have already said it, but I want to emphasize it: in the whole world the seven bowls of the wrath of God will be poured out, while in Jerusalem the marriage of the Lamb is taking place. This is established in the Word. Let us read 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7:
“Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7, NKJV)
It is perfectly clear there: while those who have been raised and those who have been transformed celebrate with the Lord, throughout the whole world the seven bowls of the wrath of God are being poured out.
Those Who Will Not Enter the Marriage of the Lamb
Regarding the marriage of the Lamb, not everyone will take part. There will be a group of Christians—I am not going to put a label on them—who will not be transformed on that day and who will not enter the marriage of the Lamb. Let us carefully review six texts, so that we may see the concern each of us ought to have: Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 22:13, 24:51, and 25:30. Let us pay close attention, because this expression is repeated in the Gospel of Matthew in all these texts. The first says:
“But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12, NKJV)
We are speaking of the time of the marriage of the Lamb: the sons of the kingdom are cast out, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This has nothing to do with hell. It refers to people who did not manage to enter the marriage of the Lamb, who were not chosen to be part of it. Let us look at the next one:
“And will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:42, NKJV)
Do you understand now why it speaks of a furnace of fire? It is not speaking of hell or of eternal punishment. It speaks of a furnace of fire because, as I just said, in the whole world the seven bowls of the wrath of God will be poured out, and those who do not enter the marriage of the Lamb will be part of those bowls as well. And the next one says the same:
“And will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:50, NKJV)
In Matthew 22:13 we read:
“Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 22:13, NKJV)
In this case it is a feast to which everyone was invited. The doors were open so that everyone could enter, but this man came in without the proper clothing for the feast. Read the whole passage so that you can see the context: although everyone was invited, because he did not have the proper clothing for the wedding, he was cast out, bound hand and foot. Let us look at the next one:
“And cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:51, NKJV)
Here we are speaking of a man who was considered for service, but who did not serve diligently; he was negligent, and therefore he is cast into the furnace of fire, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. These are men who were chosen but who did not act diligently, but quite the opposite. And the last text:
“And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:30, NKJV)
This expression, weeping and gnashing of teeth, appears only in the Gospel of Matthew, in no other gospel, and it is repeated on six different occasions, so that we may see the urgency, within the Gospel, that we be diligent with our salvation.
There are many people who are trusting that they already accepted Jesus, that they already gave their life to Jesus. Yes, but are you walking under the lordship of Christ Jesus? Are you doing the will of God, or is it the very last thing you ask the Lord about? Some say, “Later I will draw near, later I will prepare, later I will ask the Lord for forgiveness.” Brother, we must abandon Catholicism, in which many of us have still been living until this moment. Let us read Revelation 19:9 again:
“Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” (Revelation 19:9, NKJV)
There is a blessing; that is, not everyone is called to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb. For that reason, in every man of God, in every woman of God, in every young man, in every young woman, and in every child there must be a concern: for his or her life, for his or her salvation, for being a part. We can know the order of the events; we can know at what moment each one will unfold: now trumpet number one, six trumpets remain. But if we are not truly walking under the lordship, and there is no concern in us to submit and subject ourselves to the lordship of Christ Jesus, let us not expect to be able to prepare at the last moment. The texts we have read, such as Jeremiah 15:2—“Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword”—warn us against that attitude. To put off until the last moment settling accounts with the Lord is negligence, and God can close the understanding so that none of us is able to proceed in repentance before Him.
Our Position in This Time: Passing Through the Turbulence of Apostasy
It is very important to know what our position is in this time. If we do not understand it, we will be waiting for the moment when God wants to raise us up in our ministry, the moment when He wants us to do something. We are preparing, working, struggling, and striving, but God has not yet told us what we are going to do, and we do not see anything really happening. Then we are not understanding the time. The times are evil: we are in the time of apostasy. What is the work we have? To pass through the turbulence of apostasy. That is why God brought us out, moved us, kept us, and hid us, because a moment will come when God will establish; but in this time the prudent man sees evil and hides himself. For whoever wants to be jumping up and down and singing in the midst of a wave of apostasy, what good is that? The most important thing right now for us is to be able to pass through the turbulence of apostasy. The Word says in Zechariah 13:
“It shall be in that day, says the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land. It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies. And it shall be in that day that every one of the prophets will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive.” (Zechariah 13:2-4, NKJV)
Why will the prophets and the unclean spirit be cut off? Because they became contaminated. In the time of apostasy many prophets will rise up, called by God but with an unclean spirit, because they became contaminated; they will be prophesying and prophesying, and the people will run after the prophecy. But a moment will come when people will begin to realize that there is really no prophet in the midst of the land, that they are all liars, contaminated persons. This is apostasy, and this is the time in which we are.
Each one of us is running a race, a race with obstacles and hindrances. We do not guard ourselves only against temptation and sin; we must guard ourselves against many other things, and many of them appear to be true, having a form of godliness, as the apostle Paul writes to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:5). That is why the purpose of the teaching is not to carry it to the head, but to the spirit, so that there may be fruit in our lives: fruit of repentance. Otherwise, beloved brother, the race has a pace, and if we keep falling behind, we will not reach the finish line the way the Lord wants us to reach it.
And we must overcome, because it is after the turbulence that what is coming will be established. The turbulence will not be removed; the apostasy will not be withdrawn. No one will be able to remove the apostasy, because it is the platform for the son of perdition. Let us not think, then, “I am going to fight against apostasy.” What you must not do is become contaminated. If you are in an environment where you can say, “Look, this is not of God,” you can say it; but you will not be able to eradicate it, because it is part of what is coming, of what we are living, and it will not be removed. What is our part? To stand firm and pass through the turbulence without contamination, because it is needful and necessary; if the turbulence carries us away, we ourselves will become liars and deceivers. Liars and deceivers will come near us, for what purpose? So that we may use the discernment of spirits and be able to say, “This is a lie, this is deceptive.” It is the exercise we need in order to prepare ourselves and to be able to discern between one thing and the other. Apostasy dresses itself in the appearance of piety and religiosity; it dresses itself in a false humility, a false peace, a false love; it disguises itself with appearances, and we must have that discernment.
There is something more we must understand: as soon as the Lord comes, grace is closed. People will no longer be able to seek repentance. Just as the door of Noah’s ark was shut and no one else could enter, at the coming of Jesus grace is closed. There will be no more grace for the millions of people in the world, nor time for repentance. That is why we are in a time when each one of us should already be giving account to the Lord, without waiting for the judgment seat of Christ. Because it could be that we say, “Lord, in Your name we cast out demons; in Your name we spoke in new tongues; in Your name we did miracles,” and the answer be, “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (see Matthew 7:22-23). It is a very difficult time, and if we are not aware of what our true reality is, it could be that we are walking in apostasy without knowing it.
Conclusion
We have walked through the overview of the four events that accompany the coming of Jesus: death is subdued; Satan is bound for a thousand years; the dead in Christ and the righteous of the Old Testament are raised; and those who are alive and walking under the lordship of Christ Jesus are transformed, so that together we may go up to meet the Lord and descend with Him to the Mount of Olives, where the thousand years begin with the marriage of the Lamb in Jerusalem, while throughout the whole world the seven bowls of the wrath of God are poured out.
But the central message is not the order of the events; it is preparation. Knowing the order does not guarantee that we will take part; what guarantees it is that our life be subject to the will of the Lord. It is not about seeing, but about entering; it is not about being warned, but about being prepared. Whoever has open eyes but a foolish and proud heart can, in spite of seeing what the Lord is doing, go against what He is establishing. That is why we place this time in the hands of God, we seal it in the name of Jesus, and we ask, Father, for an understanding heart among Your people: in adults, in young people, and in the children whom God is raising up among us. In the name of Jesus, by the power of His Word and by the power of His Holy Spirit. Amen.
Review Questions
1. Why does knowing the order of the events of Jesus’ coming not guarantee that we will take part in them? What is the difference between seeing the kingdom and entering it, and what does it mean to be “prepared” rather than merely “warned”?
2. What are the four events that take place at the coming of Jesus, and how are they related to one another? What does the Word teach about order and life on the earth during the thousand years of His reign?
3. In light of the parables and the texts in Matthew about “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” what areas of your life today need greater diligence and submission to the lordship of Christ Jesus, so that you are not found negligent and so that you may pass through the turbulence of apostasy without contamination?
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