Future Scenarios

Here are my notes on future scenarios in Eschatology — the study of "End Times", with predictions about the "end-of-the-world".

TEOTWAWKI = The End Of The World As We Know It

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Biblical Events Dispensationalism Expect Rapture? Should We Know The Date? End Times Scenarios Forums of Debate Additional Reading

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Approaches

Each Biblical prophasy can be interpreted with one of these approaches:
• Futurist — The Bible verse is an explicit forecast of a future yet to unfold.
• Preterist (from the Latin praeter which means "before") — The prophecy has already been fulfilled before today, such as in the first century.
• Historical or Presentist — The prophecies are being fulfilled now, during the period between Yeshua's resurrection and his second coming.
• Idealist — The verse is not intended to be historical but a timeless allegory, such as the conflict between good and evil.

Biblical Events Predicted

There are many passages in both the Old Testament and Christian New Testament Bible that speak of events which have yet to occur. Most sites simply quote a passage. But I've found that the vast major of people would prefer the text of the passage quoted. Click on the text to explore its context and associated commentaries.

Event	Bible reference
The First Coming of Christ
The Generation	Luke 21:32 "This generation." — the one that sees the fig tree (Israel) begin to sprout — "will not pass away "til all be fulfilled"
Times of the Gentiles	Luke 21:24, referred to by James (Acts 15:14-16), and Paul (Romans 11:25)
Signs in the heavens, birth pangs	Revelation
The "Beast" / Anti (against) Christ is revealed	the man of lawlessness ... - the one who brings destruction ... will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. — 2 Thess. 2:3-12 ... the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the end of the world has come. —1 John 2:18
Isreal and the Temple	Daniel 9:27 — He will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. Then as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration,
10 years of tribulation for all those who are not hot nor cold and spit out by Jesus and left behind (the "Laodiceans" who are not overcomers among the church groups)	Daniel 9:25 — War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” Revelation 20:11-15
Battle of Armageddon	Zechariah 12:2-11 Zechariah 14:12-14 Revelation 6:12-17 Revelation 9:13-21; 11:13 Revelation 14:14-20 Revelation 16:12-21 Revelation 16:16 Revelation 17:14 Revelation 19:11-21 Revelation 20:1-7
Second Advent of Jesus to destroy Satan's armies, rescue His chosen people, and establish His earthly kingdom, reigning over all nations from the Throne of David in Jerusalem	Isaiah 9:7 [NKJ] — Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Daniel 9:24 — "A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to put down rebellion, to bring an end to sin, to atone for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Revelations 1:7 — Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. Zechariah 13:1 On that day there will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a fountain to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
First Resurrection — Christians who died ("fallen asleep") coming back to life to reign with Christ during the 1,000 year "Millennial" period. So comfort and encourage each other with these words. — 1 Thessalonians 4:18	Daniel 12:1-3 — And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, ... every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. Revelation 20:1-6 [NKJ] And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 20-23 ... Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 15:21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 15:23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 God will bring with Him those who through Jesus sleep (after death)... 16 the dead in Christ will rise first. Luke 14:14 [NKJ] you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Rapture Sound: Cartoon character Stimpy exclaims “Oh rapture!”	1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 [NKJ] Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Luke 17:36 (and 14:50) ... two be in the field; the one shall be taken [Strong #3880: Greek paralambano (received)], and the other left." 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 [NKJ] ... 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.
Second Resurrection (the rest coming back to life)	Revelation 20:4-6 [NKJ] ... the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. Daniel 12:2 ... to shame and everlasting contempt
Final Judgement (Those not in the Book of Life thrown into the lake of fire)	Psalm 1:4 the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. —1 Corinthians 3:13 (within 10-15) Revelation 20:7-15 [NKJ] Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment, when ungodly people will perish. —2 Peter 3:7
Communion with God in a New Heaven and Earth The reverse of the curse from eating the apple: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; ..." — Genesis 3:17 "In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life" — Genesis 3:17	"Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth - so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore. "As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear," says the LORD. —Isa. 65:17; 66:22 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also" —John 14:3 we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God. —2 Pet. 3:12,13 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever." — Revelation 22:3-4

Dispensation

This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. —Ephesians 3:11 (NLT)

Most section titles are from Believer.com.

The Old	The New
SATAN'S FIRST REBELLION The earth became waste and a ruin —Gen. l:2 For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos."I am the LORD," he says, "and there is no other. —Isaiah 45:18	SATAN'S FINAL REBELLION 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. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where F108 the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. —Rev. 20:7-10 Followed by the second resurrection and the judgment of the "great white throne". The destruction of "all things that offend". —Rev. 20:11-15
THE EARTH RESTORED AND BLESSED "The heavens and the earth which are new." —Gen. 1:2-2:3 —2 Pet. 3:7	THE EARTH RESTORED AND BLESSED —Rev. 20:4-6 —Isa. 35; &c. The Millennium.
SATAN ENTERS —Genesis 3	SATAN BOUND —Revelation 20:1-3
MANKIND DEALT WITH AS A WHOLE —Genesis 4-11:26	MANKIND DEALT WITH AS A WHOLE I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, for scattering my inheritance among the nations, and for dividing up my land. —Joel 3:2 —Matthew 25:31-46 —Acts 15:17 —Romans 15:8-12 —Rev. 4-19
THE CHOSEN NATION CALLED AND BLESSED —Genesis 11:27 I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of parents F9 to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. —Malachi 4 Jehovah and His kingdom rejected. Israel scattered.	THE CHOSEN NATION RECALLED AND BLESSED —Romans 11:11-36 —Acts 15:16 —Isa. 60:61,62 —Jer. 30:31 —Zech. 12:13,14
THE FIRST ADVENT Rejoice greatly, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey - even on a donkey's colt. —Zech. 9:9 —Micah 5:2 The Four Gospels —Rom. 15:8 The King and the kingdom proclaimed and rejected, and the King crucified.	THE SECOND ADVENT John 12:14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written —Matthew 24; 25:31 —Luke 19:11-27 —Isaiah 2:11-19 —Joel 2
THE KINGDOM RE-PROCLAIMED Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins. Then wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will send Jesus your Messiah to you again. —Acts 3:19,20 The church of God called and taken out, Acts 13 and on, and earlier Pauline Epistles. The kingdom again rejected and Israel again scattered.	THE KINGDOM POSTPONED AND IN ABEYANCE "Not yet" —Hebrews 2:8 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God's children. Both groups have believed the Good News, and both are part of the same body and enjoy together the promise of blessings through Christ Jesus. —Eph. 3:2-11 My goal is that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding of God's secret plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. —Colossians 1:25; 2:2,3 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. —1st Timothy 3:16 we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. —Titus 2:13 "The church which is His body" called, and taken up. —Phil. 3:11,14

Millennialism

There are several views about the return of Christ and the "thousand years":
The pre-millenial view says Christ will return before the millenium period.

The post-millenial view says Christ will return after the millenium period.

The amillenial view says there will be a "golden era".

The Rapture

As predicted: overcomers, children of light who have won the better prize of the "high calling" to be first fruits, Joint-heirs, a "bride" of Christ blessed hope of being translated into heavenly bodies like Enoch to attend wedding with the morning star up in the third heaven where there are many mansions so that they are spared from tribulation.

In Matthew 24:36-51, Mark 5, and Luke 21, Jesus was asked "when"?

The pre-tribulation view says Christ will return before the tribulation period.

The post-tribulation view says Christ will return after the tribulation period.

Should Christians Expect Rapture?

Yes!



It happened before: There is historical precedence in the Bible:

• Noah escaped the flood with 8 people.
• Enoch was translated and did not know death.
• Psalm 40:1-3 says, "I WAITED patiently for the LORD; and he inclined (bent down) unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit (as Jeremiah was taken up out of a pit), out of the miry clay (our bodies of clay), and set my feet upon a rock (Heaven), and established by goings. And the hath put a new song (sung after the Rapture in Revelation 5:9) in my mouth, even praise unto our God: MANY SHALL SEE IT, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD."
• Isiah 26:20 says "Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by."

The Bible says it will happen:

• John 4:23-24 (nasbu) "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

• Zephaniah 2:3 "Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger."
• Psalm 27:5 "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."
• Revelation 3:8,10 (NIV) “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.”
• I Thessalonians 5:4-9 says, "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober...But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath."
• "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5:9)
• In Rev. 11:12 the two witnesses are told, "Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them."
• The Song of Solomon 2:8-13 alludes to it.

---

Bible commentators with this "Dispensational", "Pre-millenial", "Futurist" View:

• late 1850s John Nelson Darby Bible
• 1909 Scofield Reference Bible
• Chuck Missler
• David M. William's Pre-millennial eschatology
• Thomas Ice's long-winded articles at the Pre-Tribulation Research Center argues for literal interpretations.
• The Pre-Trib Research Center, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW, Suite 801, Washington DC, 20024.



New Agers

offer their own rapture scenarios: James Redfield's best-selling Celestine Prophecy series ends up with their "elect" vibrating their way out of here, supposedly like the Mayans.

No!

“The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives when you least expect it.” —Arnold H. Glasow

• Chuck Missler on the Rapture
• Adapted from Instant Nullification:
  • I still have my whole life ahead of me.
  • I don't believe that there is an all-powerful God.
  • I don't believe that the Bible was written by God.
  • I don't believe in Heaven.
  • I'd rather go to the other place and be with all my friends.
  • I don't believe that people can just disappear.
  • Christ isn't coming back until long after I'm dead.
  • Christ isn't coming back until the world gets its act together.
  • This stuff is too scary for me to even think about.
  
  
• “The rapture is wishful thinking”

• The Post Trib Network
• The Premillennial Deception and rapture.
• In II Thess 2:6, the person who will be taken out of the way (as a precursor to the tribulation) are not people, but angels such as Michael who appeared in Daniel 10:12.
• Why shouldn't we suffer as much as the Early Church? We are no better than they.

• 4th Century Augustine concluded that the "kingdom of God" was already manifest in the presence of the Church.

• Bob Mahlstedt believes the "great tribulation" occurred at the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in the 1st century (72 AD).

• Michael F. Blume believes that "pre-tribulation rapture teaching is dangerous, since it encourages people to sit and expect deliverance from this world should any severe trouble come our way. And that is not good. But so long as we stay in victory in Christ we will be ready whether tribulation comes our way or not! Victory in Jesus keeps us safe either way!"

Should We Know The Date?

No!

• Mark 13:31-37 32 But of THAT DAY AND [that] HOUR KNOWETH NO MAN, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33 Take ye heed, WATCH AND PRAY: for YE KNOW NOT WHEN THE TIME IS. 34 [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35 Watch ye therefore: for YE KNOW NOT WHEN the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, WATCH.

  Here's Marilyn Agee's interpretation of this passage:

  You said that Jesus "said no-one would know." That is what many say, but take another look at what Jesus really said, "But of that day and hour knoweth (present tense, at that moment) no man (Jesus was not just man, but man and God)" (Mt. 24:36). He was careful how he phrased that. He did NOT say that no one would ever know.

  Therefore, we say that he spoke as a man, not as God. Actually, it goes deeper than that. He phrased his statement very carefully. He said, "no man." Well, he was not just a man. He was a God man, one of a kind. He was actually excluding himself.

  You mentioned only the Father knows when he will return to get his bride. Of course, Jesus and the Father are one. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. When Jesus said that no man knoweth the day and hour, that was true. Knoweth was present tense. No man knew at that time. Besides that, Jesus was not just "man." He was both man and God, one of a kind. He worded that very carefully. That statement was sort of a delay switch to keep us from searching too soon for what manner of time the prophets spoke about. It sure kept me from really looking into when things would happen until after the Six-Day War had already taken place.

  It was not for the apostles to know the times or the seasons. That was reserved for us at the end of this age, after the Sign of the End of the Age (the Six-Day War of 1967, when Israel grew) appeared.

  In Mark 4:21-25, Jesus showed that we are to tell what we know. "And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what he hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath"

  
  Get this print framed for your wall!

Yes!

• Those of the last generation are the little children of whom I John 2:18,20 said, "it is the last hour...and ye have an unction (anointing) from the Holy One, and YE KNOW ALL THINGS."
• The Second Coming after the Tribulation is different from the pre-tribulation Rapture. When Jesus said Acts 1:6 "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." He was answering their question "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
• Noah was told "Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made. And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. " Genesis 7:4
• Jonah walked into Nineveh and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah. 3:4). And don't forget that Noah knew the year. See Gen. 6:3: "his (man's) days shall be an hundred and twenty years." Noah knew when to complete the Ark.
• It is now time for the church to receive "their portion of meat in due season" (Luke 12:42).
• John 16:13 says that when "the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth...and HE WILL SHEW YOU THINGS TO COME."
• Solomon said "A wise man's heart discerneth both TIME and judgment" (Eccl. 8:5).
• Amos 3:7 says, the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
• In Mark 13:23, Jesus emphatically said, "But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things."
• In Luke 12:2, Jesus said, "For there is NOTHING covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known." In Matthew 10:26, Jesus said, "Fear them not therefore: for here is NOTHING covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known." Jesus said, "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Rev. 3:3). If we watch, we will know the hour he will come upon us.
• Daniel 12:10 says, "None of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand."
• Daniel 12:4 says "Seal up the book until the time of the end when many will search and true knowledge will become abundant",
• The prophets who dutifully recorded the time clues did not necessarily understand them. But, they "prophesied of the grace that should come to YOU: searching what, or what manner of TIME the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify" I Pet. 1:10,11).
• Jesus scolded the Pharisees for not knowing the time. Matthew 16:3 says, "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" They could have figured out the time of the First Advent from Daniel 9:24-26, but they did not. imilarly, in Luke 12:56, he said, Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?"
• "For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."

"End Times" Scenarios

Many predictions of dates for End Times have come and gone.
• Charles Taze Russell's October, 1914 began the Jehovah's Witnesses.
• William Miller's 1833 and 1844 prediction began the Seventh Day Adventists.
• Edgar Whisenant's "On Borrowed Time" predicted September 11-13, 1988 and September 1, 1989

• More recently, Marilyn Agee thought that it was June '98 based on her End-Time Chronology based on the Old and New Testament. Jack Langford and Jim Bramlett came to the same conclusions. Note that their websites no longer exist.

  Jim Bramlett

• November by Everett Vasek

  location of stars, planets, galaxies.

Taking the "mark"

I think that the "mark" will be an outcome of the need to protect citizens against terrorism by muslim extermists.

Additional Reading

I am personally not persuaded with so called "discoveries" of equiletter distances.

• Marked by God
• James Harrison
• I think that it's cool if God spelled his name using every 7th letter in the 5 books of Moses. I believe it. It's a way of detecting whether a document was tampered with.
• But I think that we have gotten carried away when we try to find other words in it.
• Let's explore the text of the Bible itself.

References

Feasts of Isreal

Forums of Debate

alt.bible.prophecy
• Prophesy Central is content-rich with lots of links.
• Prophesy News Watch
• Radio Bible Class has excellent booklets on the web
• Scott Huckaby's Essays on Christian Issues
  
  End-Time Prophecies of the Bible by David Haggith
  Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy by J. Barton Payne
  The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook by John F. Walvoord
  Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation by John F. Walvoord (June 1989)
  The Footsteps of the Messiah, A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Ariel Ministries 1983)
  Revelation: Four Views : A Parallel Commentary by Steve Gregg (Nelson Reference May 14, 1997)
  Reading Prophetic Narratives (Indiana Studies in Biblical Literature) by Simon, Uriel.; Schramm, Lenn J. (Bloomington Indiana University Press, 1997)
  Jonathan Edwards and the Bible by Robert E. Brown (Bloomington Indiana University Press, 2002)
  Prophecy and the Biblical Prophets: Oxford Bible Series by John F. A. Sawyer, (Oxford [England] ; New York Oxford University Press (UK), 1993_