Prophecy Overview

                          End Times Prophecy Review
For those of you who attend churches where your pastor and teachers never mention end-times prophecy, this lesson is for you.

To have a good understanding of the sequence of events which the Holy Scriptures reveal about the end times, we need to study several areas of the bible. Do not read Revelation without studying the last six chapters of Daniel first, especially chapter nine. Also, check out Ezekiel 38 and 39, the visions of Zechariah, Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Thessalonians 1 and 2. This is not a complete list, but it will certainly help you get started.
I am going to list several future events that the bible references, and the sequence which I believe they will occur. Scholars have varying opinions concerning the exact sequence involved. I personally believe that the mid-tribulation, pre-millennial theory is the most trustworthy, and I will explain those terms as we move along.
Here is what you need to know. The prominent events, listed in chronological order, are the rapture of the church, the Bema Seat of Christ judgment, the tribulation period, the second coming of Christ, the sheep and goats judgment, the millennial kingdom, Great White Throne Judgment, and a new heaven and earth which will last forever. These are the major events. There are many other aspects of end-times prophecy which serve to tie these together, but first let me define these I have listed.

The rapture of the church – this is the literal, physical removal of all true Christians from the earth. It includes all Christians from Pentecost on. The dead in Christ will be resurrected and given new glorified bodies. Immediately after that, all living Christians will have their fleshly bodies miraculously changed into glorified bodies and then join the others as they meet Jesus in the air. I know this sounds incredible, even unbelievable, but this is precisely what the bible teaches.
John 14:1-3, 1 Thess. 4:13-17, and 1 Cor. 15:50-55.

The Bema Seat of Christ Judgment – the judgment of Christians to determine what eternal rewards they will have in heaven 2 Cor. 5:10

The Tribulation Period – This is a seven-year period that is to follow the rapture, although we do not know the length of time between the two events. It will be characterized by various judgments and natural disasters increasing in frequency throughout the span of seven years.
Dan. 9:27, 7:24, 12:7, Rev. 12:14, 11:3, 12:6
The last five verses refer to half of the period, or three and half years (1260 days)

The Second Coming of Christ – this is Christ’s glorious return, accompanied by the armies of heaven, whereby He will defeat the combined armies of the antichrist. Rev. 19:11-21

The Sheep and Goats Judgment – Jesus will judge those who live through the tribulation by their bahavior and determine who will be able to enter the millennial kingdom

Matt. 25:31-46

The Millennial Kingdom – a 1,000 year kingdom where Jesus will reign over the whole world and Israel will be the preeminent nation. Rev. 20:4

The Great White Throne Judgment – the judgment of the unsaved to determine the level of punishment they will have to endure throughout eternity in the Lake of Fire.

Rev. 20:11-15

New Heaven and New Earth – the glorious eternal state of heaven and earth Rev. 21:1

Much has been written about each and every one of these events, but my goal here is to give you an overview of these future happenings. There is much more to be said and many more verses to be referenced. You must know the nature and order of these occurrences if you desire to understand how current events relate to end times prophecy. I will include much more information in future posts in order to help further explain the issues of the day as they relate to prophecy. There is a lot of hype and misinformation out there, and I will do my best to make sense of it all based on scripture.