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INTRODUCTION
Have you ever noticed that the biggest blessings from God are also the things that Satan tries to thwart?
(Creation, Marriage)
God created the heavens and the earth.
A few chapters later in Genesis and Satan is tempting man and ruining the good thing God created.
God created marriage to be a beautiful display of the covenantal love between God and his covenant people.
Throughout Scripture and still today we see the attack of Satan to destroy the good gift that God has given.
The second coming of Christ is one of the greatest promises of God ever given to man.
There is no greater event on my calendar than meeting Jesus face to face.
And yet this is a doctrine that has historically caused great division in the church.
If I’m honest, one of the reasons I stayed away from the book so long is because I was afraid discussion around it might cause division in our church.
Open Handed / Close Fisted
So before we begin today I just wanted to make a couple statements.
First, when it comes to discussing theology, some things are open-handed and others are close fisted.
There're some closed-handed issues we have to hold onto no matter what that we can never waiver upon.
Trinity
Deity of Christ
Original Sin
Authority and inerrenancy of Scripture
On these type of issues we do not wiggle room.
They are close-fisted.
Settled and clearly defined in Scripture.
Other issues are more open handed.
Baptism (sprinkle or immerse)
Women in ministry (Hard/Soft Complementarian)
Spiritual gifts (Are the sign gifts still operational today?)
I have views (strong views) on each of these issues.
Friends of mine will disagree with me.
It’s okay for them to be wrong!
It doesn’t dampen our fellowship.
Charity on Views of the Rapture
When it comes to the second coming of Jesus some things about it are close-fisted.
He will return literally, bodily and establish his kingdom.
No real debate there.
The timing of the rapture is an “open handed” issue because the most common views about that discussion can all be supported by Scripture.
Last week I tried to expose you to that “open handed” discussion.
I know it was like drinking from a fire hydrant.
Some of you loved it others of you didn’t.
Today I’m going to show you where I land on this controversial discussion.
If you’re new to Broadview just know most sermons are not like today and next week we’ll get back to normal.
I’ve worked hard over the past several months to finally settle on a view.
One of the reasons I avoided this book was because I never could settle on what i thought the timeline of events were.
So if you disagree with me this morning it’s perfectly fine.
2021 Wes disagrees with the Wes of 2020 and both of those Wes disagree with the Wes of 2015 and the 2015 Wes would disagree with the Wes of 2011.
CRAZY!
The Four Views - BLOCKS
So what are the views?
Before I review these four views you must remember that these are four views are all trying to situate FOUR key events that must take place BEFORE Jesus comes again.
The rise of antichrist and abomination of desolation
The Great Tribulation
The Rapture of the Church
The Day of the Lord
I believe all four of these events will be fulfilled in the 7 years that directly precede the second coming of Jesus (cf Daniel 9:27)
CHART: We don’t have time to go into but there’s a prophecy in Daniel 9:27 that says in the last day the Antichrist will make a covenant with the people of Israel, after 3.5 years he will break that covenant.
Great persecution will break out until God pours out his judgment on the antichrist and his forces in the Day of the Lord.
What isn’t settled by Daniel 9:27 is the Rapture of the Church and it’s relationship to the Antichrist, Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.
As a result, four main views have been developed over the years to try and situate the rapture of the church on the timeline of the final seven years.
CHART: Pre-trib rapture puts the rapture of the church before the seven years begins.
(Church will be with Jesus in heaven for those 7 years then come back with Jesus in judgment on the earth) Most popular view.
CHART: Mid-trib puts the rapture at the mid-point of the final seven years.
(simultaneous with the abomination of desolation)
CHART: Post-trib puts the rapture at the end of the seven years (simultaneous with the second coming of Jesus)
CHART: Pre-wrath puts the rapture after the Great Tribulation and before the day of the Lord (second coming of Jesus).
My Goal For Today
Today I want to argue for the “prewrath” view of the rapture because I think it makes the MOST sense of everything Scripture says about the end time.
I know some of you are died in the wool pre-trib.
My goal is not necessarily to change your mind this morning.
I was pre-tribulational in my understanding for most of my life.
Really up until preaching this book I was unsure of where I landed.
I’m holding this position with an open hand but also with real conviction.
My goal is not to settle the debate or give an official position for Broadview.
I just want to present this view as one that makes sense of Revelation 6-8 and also harmonizes what the rest of the Bible says concerning the second coming of Christ.
Review of Seals & Birth Pains
Before we get to Revelation 7, though, let’s set up the context.
For the past four weeks we’ve been working through Revelation 6.
In each message we’ve seen the parallels between Jesus’ teaching on the end times in Matthew 24 and John’s description of the end times in Revelation 6. (6 SLIDES)
Seal One: Antichrist (False Christs - Matthew 24:4-5)
I think seal one represents the rise of the antichrist.
He comes on the scene with false promises of peace and prosperity.
Instead of that peace and prosperity we see war and great poverty (seals 2-3).
Seal Two: Wars (Rumors of Wars - Matthew 24:6)
Seal Three: Famines (Matthew 24:7)
Like most politicians do when something goes wrong the antichrist is going to point the finger and blame somebody else for the ills that start to plague the earth.
That patsy is going to be Christians and Jews in my opinion.
That’s leads to seal 4.
Seal Four: Authority to Kill 1/4th (Matthew 24:9)
We said last week that this fourth horsemen who is given authority to kill 1/4 of the earth may not suggest a geographic 1/4 as much as it does a demographic 1/4 of the earth.
In my mind it’s demographic.
Seal Five: Cry of the Martyrs (Matthew 24:21-22)
Therefore the authority to kill 1/4 of the earth in seal 4 is authority to kill God’s people.
That’s what we see in seal 5. They’re crying out “How long O Lord until you avenge us and end this injustice?”
God’s response is to wait until the full number of martyrs come end.
Seal Six: Cosmic Signs and Wonders (Matthew 24:29-30)
When that happens - Jesus opens the 6th seal and cosmic signs and wonders begin to announce the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.
The Great Tribulation
In Matthew 24 Jesus refers to this time of mass death and persecution of God’s people as “the Great Tribulation.”
Matthew 24:21–22 (CSB)
21 For at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again.
22 Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved.
But those days will be cut short because of the elect.
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