What exactly is coming?

The timeline of the 7 year ‘Tribulation’

The Bible, and in particular the last book of the Bible, Revelation, widely informs about the end time and particularly about the 7 year Tribulation. Here you can find a concise summary of what the Bible tells about this time.

The current time

The end time is divided in different phases. First there will be a surge in wars, earthquakes, hunger, infectious diseases, there will be signs in the skies and people will be increasingly boastful. The Bible also states that Damascus will be destroyed in a day. We recently see battling in Damascus and with nuclear weapons destruction in a day is not unthinkable. The Bible identifies several countries that will play a role in the end time, such as Russia, China and Iran.

The rapture of those who believe in Chris (the body of Christ)

Because the larger part of humanity turns away from God, and the measure of sin will reach its fullness, there will be 7 years of judgment by God, the Tribulation. Before this period starts, God will take the people that believe in Him up into heaven, because He said that his wrath will not come over ‘the body of Christ’, those who accepted Jesus as their Saviour before the rapture.

First there will be the resurrection of those who died (believing) in Christ; these people will be taken up to heaven together with the living Christians that are on the earth at that time. This means millions of people will disappear.

Probably the media will try to explain this as an alien kidnapping. We currently see a stark increase in reporting about UFO’s and extra-terrestrial life, strengthening the cover for this disappearance.

The 7 year Tribulation

In the first 3,5 years, a world ruler will rise, out of a period of ten kings/ kingdoms. Three of these will fall and the seven other kings/ kingdoms will cede their power to this world ruler, called the antichrist in the Bible. He will make an alliance with Israel and move his government to Jerusalem. A new temple shall be built as well. This world ruler, the antichrist, will show his true colours after 3,5 years and have himself revered as god. A large image will be made, possibly on the temple square in Jerusalem, as an object of worship for all people on the earth and the image will even be given the ability to speak.

During the Tribulation there will come a time you will be required to accept the mark of the beast on your right hand or forehead. The Bible names the number of the name of this beast six hundredsixtysix (666). If you accept this mark, you are joining satan’s kingdom, thus incurring Gods wrath and eternal salvation will have become no longer possible. Without this mark you will not be able to buy or sell, so it will be very difficult to still function in society.

Overview of God’s judgments in the 7-year Tribulation
Because the measure of sin will be full at this point, God will execute His judgments on the world. The disasters will increase in intensity during these 7 years, culminating in the last 3.5 years, which the Bible calls the Great Tribulation.

During the Tribulation humanity will grow more unloving and violent. Food will become scarce. A fourth part of humanity will perish by means of wars, hunger, pestilences and wildlife. There will be an enormous earthquake that will hit the whole earth. It will move mountain ranges and islands and large cosmic debris will hit the earth. It will cause tsunamis and trigger volcanic activity. Fire will rain on the earth, causing wildfires all around. Winds will be released that will split mountains and shatter rocks to pieces. After these judgements only about 60% of the earth’s population will still be alive.

What follows is a new series of judgements. There will be bloody rain of fire, the impact of a large meteorite that will cause all world seas to turn (red like) into blood, a very large tsunami that will cause a third of all ships to go down, a third of all water wells will be poisoned, and the sun, moon and stars will be darkened.

A chilling chapter of Revelation is about demonic locusts that will torment people on the earth to such extend that they will seek death, but won’t find it. These demons will not hurt the ones that have come to belief in God, because God protects them from this.

Again there will be a new series of judgements. 1. The ones with the mark of the beast will grow malevolent tumours. 2. The sea will turn into blood and all life in the sea will die. 3. Rivers and water wells will also turn into blood. 4. There will be extreme heat. 5. There will be complete darkness in the kingdom of the antichrist. 6. The river Euphrates will dry up. 7. There will be an earthquake like never before and the city of Babylon (possibly Rome, being a large part of the empire of the antichrist) shall fall apart into three pieces, other cities collapse and some mountains will no longer be found. Also, there will be hailstones of some 26kg each falling from heaven. After these judgements, ordered civilization as we know it will be no more. Energy supply, public transportation, banks, etc. will no longer function normally.

At the end of the 7-year period, the antichrist will prepare a large army for battle against Israel. There will be a large earthquake and Jesus will physically return and His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives in (East) Jerusalem. He will kill the antichrist with the breath of His mouth and the 1000-year kingdom of peace will begin.

The 1000-year kingdom of peace

After the aforementioned 7 years of misery, there will be 1000 years of peace all over the world, in which Jesus Christ will reign from Jerusalem. There will be paradise-like circumstances: carnivores will be herbivores again and a lamb will be able to peacefully live together side by side with a lion. At the end of this era the believers that have died during the Tribulation will be revived, to rule together with Jesus and the Body of Christ (the other believers). At the beginning of these 1000 years the Lord Jesus will judge the nations and he will take care of all the enemies of Israel.

At the end of the kingdom of peace, the devil will be released once more (for a short time) and again try to seduce many to join battle against Jerusalem. This battle he will lose, for the Lord will finish off all the seductions of the devil and throw him into the pit of fire for ever.

Eternity

All people that have every lived will someday have to appear before the throne of God. We will all be judged by what we have done in this life, whether good, or evil. There will be two eternal destinations: heaven for those who have accepted Christ and hell for those who have rejected Christ and have acted against their conscience.

I can imagine all this is a pretty hard pill to swallow, but I would urge you to investigate it. God is a living God, ask Him to show you the truth. Ask Him to lead you when you read the Bible. He allows Himself to be found. He loved you before you were even born and longs to have a relationship with you. God is heartbroken if you don’t accept His salvation and are lost forever. He wants to spend eternity with you, so that you will be happy for ever.