In just the past few weeks, we have witnessed a dizzying array of signs pointing to the nearness of the Tribulation and, thus, to the Rapture, which happens before it begins. The world lies breathtakingly close to the start of the catastrophic conditions described throughout Revelation 6, and yet God’s judgments seem mysteriously paused.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, Paul explains why the world can rest on the edge of cataclysmic events and yet escape the dire consequences of what surely lies ahead: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”
Revelation 6 begins with the antichrist riding throughout the world on a white horse, but this can’t happen until the Lord removes His restraining hand, which for now keeps him from unveiling his true nature. The restricting force is the Holy Spirit’s presence in true believers through which He not only holds back the man of lawlessness, but also the start of all we read about in Revelation 6.
After the Rapture, the beast will be free to ride.
Closer to the Edge of Destruction
Just this month, we have witnessed events that have brought the world closer to the time when we will watch the Lord open the seven seals. What follows are but a couple of examples of this.
On Sunday, November 17, President Biden took the world a giant step closer to a nuclear world war by allowing Ukraine to fire U.S. missiles into Russia, which happened two days later. As I write, we await Vladimir Putin’s response. Will he carry through on his threats of a nuclear response? If nothing else, the President’s decision has put many people on edge and will surely escalate the war, resulting in the deaths of many more people.
And just this past week, the U.S. debt total passed the thirty-six trillion-dollar mark. There’s no rational explanation for why the American economy hasn’t completely collapsed with worldwide implications that align with Revelation 6:5-6.
Suddenly
How does this seeming delay fit with Bible prophecy? 1 Thessalonians 5:3 reveals that when the world falls off the edge into the coming series of catastrophic events, it will happen abruptly and unexpectedly: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
In a moment, everything will change. The word normal will remain in dictionaries, but any sense of normality will instantly disappear.
As New Testament saints, we will disappear in the “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). The Lord will instantly change our mortal bodies into ones that will never perish or grow old. We will immediately experience the eternal life that we now possess through faith.
Our departure alone will cause a rapid deterioration of any remaining sense of calm and result in great chaos throughout the world. I believe that the antichrist will begin his crusade for peace in the weeks or perhaps months after the Rapture.
Revelation 1:1 provides us with another indication of just how quickly world conditions will deteriorate.
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.
The Greek word for “soon” in this verse is tachos, which more often denotes the speed or quickness of an action. John is not saying that the prophecies of the apocalypse would happen soon, at least with how we reckon time, but rather that they would happen quickly. Like a large boulder rolling downhill, they will happen with increased speed and intensity.
Yes, the Bible tells us that the Tribulation will last seven years, beginning with a peace agreement between the Antichrist and Israel. However, the Day of the Lord will begin suddenly and continue with a series of judgments that will continue in rapid-fire succession. The experience of “sudden destruction” will repeat over and over again through the Tribulation.
The Warning
Everywhere we look, we see precursors to the fulfillment of so many things that we read about in the book of Revelation and, in particular, chapters 6 and 13. As a result, some mistakenly believe that the four horsemen of the apocalypse are already riding through the earth. I believe the Lord is allowing the world to see glimpses of what lies ahead as a warning of what’s to come.
At the moment, the world is speeding down the road to a nuclear war. Could we be hours, days, or weeks away from the “sudden destruction” that will inaugurate the Day of the Lord after we are safely in Heaven with Jesus? Yes, we are that close to the Lord’s appearing. Or might He continue to restrain the forces that He has allowed to take the world to the edge of suddenly?
If nothing else, the events of the past few weeks should be a wake-up call of just how quickly our lives can instantly change. I know that many in the world still cling to the belief that normality will prevail, but what about the church?
Sadly, many saints plan for their future with no thought of the Lord’s nearing intervention in their future aspirations nor with any consideration of the warning that comes from James 4:13-17.
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