From The End Of The World To The Rapture: Tracing The Prophetic Timeline Backward From The Great White Throne To The Rapture Of The Church

The end times timeline does not terminate with man building a better world, repairing the damage of sin, or finally learning how to govern himself. It ends with the present heaven and earth fleeing away from the face of the One seated on the Great White Throne. Revelation 20 shows the final collapse of Adam’s ruined world system, followed by the judgment of every lost soul who rejected the light God gave them. From that fearful scene, the prophetic timeline begins to unfold in reverse: the Great White Throne requires the end of the Millennium, the Millennium requires the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the Second Coming requires the completion of the time of Jacob’s trouble, and the Tribulation requires the removal of the blood-bought Church before the wrath of God is poured out.

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Matthew 24:3 (KJB)

That is why the Bible believer is not waiting for the end of the world; we are waiting for the Lord from heaven. The next event for the body of Christ is not the mark of the beast, the rise of Antichrist, or the opening of the seals in Revelation 6, but the blessed hope of Titus 2:13 and the catching away of the Church in 1 Thessalonians 4. When you start at the end and work backward, the rightly divided timeline becomes clear. God will judge this world, restore Israel, reign from Jerusalem, destroy the final rebellion, judge the lost dead, dissolve the first creation, and make all things new. But before that final chain of events begins in earnest, the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and the Church will be gone. Today we look at the end times prophetic timeline in reverse!

YOU ARE INVITED: Come and be a part of our live and in-person Sunday Service starting at 11:00AM at the Bible Believers Church at the Bookstore in Palatka, Florida.

IF YOU ARE A STUDENT OF SCRIPTURE, THE FIRST THING YOU MUST LEARN IS HOW TO ‘RIGHLY DIVIDING’ THE BIBLE, CLICK TO ORDER!!

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: From The End Of The World To The Rapture

From The End Of The World To The Rapture

Most prophecy teachers and end times teaching will ask, “What happens next?” And that’s a pretty good question. But today we are going to ask, what must have already happened before the world can come to an end?

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Matthew 24:3 (KJB)

That is not the Rapture. That is not the Second Advent. That is not the Day of the Lord beginning. That is the end of the creation immediately before eternity begins in Revelation 21. Today we start at the end and work our way back to where we are right now.

I. The First Heaven And Earth Are Removed

Main Text: Revelation 20:11; Revelation 21:1
Truth: The prophetic timeline does not end with the Millennium; it ends with the passing away of the first heaven and earth.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Revelation 21:1 (KJB)

Application: Man talks about saving the planet, but God says this present creation is appointed for removal. The Bible-believer is not looking for the restoration of Adam’s fallen world system; he is looking for the new heaven, the new earth, and New Jerusalem.

Backward Question: Before the first heaven and earth flee away, what must happen?

II. The Great White Throne Judgment Must Take Place

Main Text: Revelation 20:11-15
Truth: The lost dead are raised, judged according to their works, and cast into the lake of fire.

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15 (KJB)

This is not the Judgment Seat of Christ for Church Age saints. This is not a judgment to decide rewards. This is the final judgment of the Christ-rejecting dead.

Application: The sinner’s works cannot save him, but his works will condemn him. The only safety is to be found in Christ before death.

Backward Question: Before the Great White Throne can happen, what must be finished?

III. The Thousand-Year Kingdom Must Expire

Main Text: Revelation 20:7
Truth: Satan is loosed after the thousand years, proving that even under perfect government, unregenerate man is still corruptible.

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,” Revelation 20:7 (KJB)

Application: The problem with man is not merely environment, politics, poverty, or education. The problem is sin. Even after one thousand years of Jesus Christ ruling visibly from Jerusalem, the unsaved heart will still follow rebellion when given the chance.

Backward Question: Before Satan is loosed, where was he?

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:8-11 (KJB)

Satan Must Be Bound During The Millennium

Main Text: Revelation 20:1-3
Truth: The Millennium begins with Satan bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years.

“And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” Revelation 20:3 (KJB)

Application: There is no present “kingdom age” in which Satan is already bound. Revelation 20 says Satan is shut up so that he deceives the nations no more. One look at the nations today tells you that has not happened yet.

Backward Question: Before Satan is bound, what event brings the Kingdom in?

IV. The King Must Return At The Second Advent

Main Text: Revelation 19:11-14
Truth: The visible return of Jesus Christ destroys the Antichrist’s kingdom and brings in the literal reign of Christ.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” Revelation 19:11-14 (KJB)

This is Christ coming with His saints, not Christ coming for His saints. Revelation 19 brings the King back to earth in judgment, war, and visible glory.

Application: The world is not gradually becoming Christianized. The Kingdom does not arrive by politics, social reform, or religious unity. The Kingdom comes when the King comes.

Backward Question: Before the King returns in Revelation 19, what has the earth just endured?

V. The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble Must Run Its Course

Main Texts: Revelation 6-18; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:21
Truth: The Tribulation is Daniel’s seventieth week, a time of judgment on the nations and purging for Israel, not the Church going through “hard times.”

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (KJB)

This period includes the rise of Antichrist, the mark of the beast, the abomination of desolation, the seals, trumpets, vials, and the global wrath of God.

Application: The Church is not appointed to wrath. The Tribulation is not God beating up the bride of Christ before the marriage supper. It is God resuming His prophetic dealings with Israel and judging a Christ-rejecting world.

Backward Question: Before Daniel’s seventieth week begins, what must be removed?

VII. The Church Must Be Caught Up

Main Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Truth: The Rapture removes the Church before the time of Jacob’s trouble begins.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (KJB)

This is not Revelation 19. In 1 Thessalonians 4, the saints meet the Lord in the air. In Revelation 19, Christ returns to the earth to make war and reign.

Application: The Church is looking for Christ, not Antichrist. We are waiting for a shout, not the mark. We are listening for the trump of God, not preparing to endure the vials of the wrath of God.

Backward Question: Before the Church is caught up, what is God doing right now?

VIII. The Present Church Age Must Finish

Main Texts: Romans 11:25; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Titus 2:13
Truth: Right now, God is calling out a body for His Son through the gospel of the grace of God revealed through Paul.

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25 (KJB)

This is the mystery age, the Church Age, the dispensation in which Jew and Gentile are made one body in Christ. When the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, God’s prophetic clock with Israel resumes.

Application: The message for today is not “build the kingdom.” The message is: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Get saved. Get in the body of Christ before the trumpet sounds. Reserve your seat on Flight #777!

Reverse Timeline Synopsis

The First Creation Flees Away — Revelation 20:11; 21:1
The world ends because God removes the first heaven and earth.
The Lost Dead Are Judged — Revelation 20:11-15
The Great White Throne closes the record of unsaved humanity.
Satan’s Final Revolt Is Crushed — Revelation 20:7-10
One last rebellion proves the incurable nature of fallen man.
The Millennium Has Run Its Course — Revelation 20:1-6
Christ has reigned for one thousand literal years.
Christ Returned Before The Millennium — Revelation 19:11-16
The King came back to destroy Antichrist and take the throne.
The Tribulation Came Before The Second Advent — Revelation 6-18
Daniel’s seventieth week brought wrath, judgment, and Israel’s purging.
The Rapture Came Before The Tribulation — 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
The Church was caught up before the wrath fell.
The Church Age Is Where We Are Now — Titus 2:13
The next event for the body of Christ is not the end of the world, but the blessed hope.

In Conclusion

When you start at Revelation 20:11 and work backward, and the whole prophetic timeline comes into a sharper focus in a way that reading it from start to finish does not.

The world cannot end until the Great White Throne takes place.
The Great White Throne cannot take place until the Millennium is over.
The Millennium cannot begin until Christ returns.
Christ does not return in Revelation 19 until the Tribulation has run its course.
The Tribulation does not begin while the body of Christ is still here.
Therefore, the next event for the Bible-believing Christian is not the end of the world, it is the Rapture of the Church.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

The post THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: From The End Of The World To The Rapture appeared first on Now The End Begins.

THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: From The End Of The World To The Rapture