Do Not Be Deceived
Dearly beloved of God, the events taking place in the world today are not signs that the Day of the Lord is at hand. God chose us to salvation. We have been saved from the wrath to come in that day.
There will be two stages of the return of Christ. First, he will come for the Church, which is his body, and he will gather both the dead in Christ and the living ones together, and we will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
Christ’s coming for the Church is called the Day of Christ. The Day of Christ will be the last event in this current administration of the Grace of God, and the Mystery. This is our glorious hope. It is also called the Day of Redemption, and our gathering together up to meet him in the air.
The second part of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will take place sometime after he has first come for the Church, how long afterwards the scriptures do not say. That coming is called the Day of the Lord, or Lord's Day. When he comes in the Day of the Lord he will come to the earth.
There are no signs or seasons concerning Christ’s coming for the Church, which is his body. His coming to gather together the Church will precede his coming to the earth in the Lord’s Day.
There are no astronomical configurations given as signs of his coming for the Church in the day of Christ; no unique heavenly alignments, blood moons, conjunctions, etc.. There are no prophecies that must be fulfilled before he comes for the Church. There are no signs or seasons concerning his coming for the Church of the Grace of God.
There will be signs and seasons that pertain to the coming of the Lord when he comes to the earth in the Day of the Lord. They will take place after the great tribulation, right before the Lord Jesus Christ Comes to the earth.
The Lord spoke of this: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give here light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:29 and 30.
When the Lord comes to the earth he will come to the Mount of Olives, the same place from which he ascended into heaven.
The Lord’s Day, or Day of the Lord will begin a different administration; an administration characterized by judgment, and wrath.
That administration will come in like a thief; unannounced. When they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them.
The only time specified in the Lord’s Day are the last seven years prior to the Lord’s coming to the earth. There will be three and a half years of peace and safety, and then there will be three and a half years of great tribulation like never before.
The beast, the man of sin, the son of perdition will enter the Temple of God (which will have been rebuilt by then), and declare that he is God. He will make war with the saints.
A second beast, a false prophet, will have an image of the first beast made (an idol), and he will cause it to speak, and cause as many that will not worship the image to be killed. The second beast will cause all people to receive a mark in his right hand, or forehead so that no one may buy or sell without the mark.
The wrath of the Gentiles will be poured out against the nation of Israel until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled, then the wrath of God will be poured out against them.
The Lord Jesus Christ will come to the earth with his army. He will come as the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. He will come to judge and to make war.
He will make war with the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies. The Lord will take the beast, and the false prophet, and they will be cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. The remnant will be slain by him that sat on the horse, with the sword that proceeds out of his mouth. The vultures will be gathered together for the great supper of God as they feast on their dead bodies.
The devil, or Satan will be bound for a thousand years, and cast into the bottomless pit, and he will be shut up, and have a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years is ended.
The Lord Jesus Christ will reign on the earth for over a thousand years. He will reign until he has put down all rule and authority and power, for he must reign until he has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
The Father judges no man, but He has committed all judgment unto the Son, and He has given him the authority to execute it.
The beast will be judged, along with the false prophet, the kings that followed him, and those with the mark of the beast. Israel will be judged. The nations will be judged. All who are in their graves will come forth, and the just will be separated from the unjust. The devil and his angels will be judged.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of the living and of the dead. Every grave will come forth at his command; some to life, and some to damnation. Death is the last enemy that will be destroyed.
These are a few of the events that concern the Day of the Lord. Thank God we have been saved from this. We were judged as righteous in Christ, and there is no more condemnation to those who are in Christ; we will never again come into condemnation.
Dearly beloved of God, let not your heart be troubled. Do not be disturbed by the events taking place in the world. Fear not; our God is with us, and He is for us. He will never leave us, nor will He ever, ever forsake us. Be at peace in your heart, and cast your cares upon Him for He cares for us.
Do not be deceived by anyone who tells you that the Day of the Lord is at hand; that day cannot come except the departure of the Church first takes place. We are not going through the great tribulation, and we have been saved from the wrath to come. Rejoice!
The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for the Church is to comfort us. It should encourage us to stand as the children of God in this evil world. Our hope in Christ should keep us lit up with excitement as we anticipate the coming glory. Everyone that has this hope in Christ purifies himself, even as he is pure.
If you think this life is good, just wait until your body is transformed to be like Christ’s glorious body, and you are caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and you physically enter the kingdom of God, and you receive the glory of God.
When God makes all things new again, we will live in the new heaven and new earth. There will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things will pass away. There will only be glory, and that forever. In His presence there is fullness of joy; at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Walk worthy of the calling with which we were called. We were called to acquire the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ! It will take God our Father the coming ages to display the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Be consumed with the goodness of God to us, not with the evil of this world. Set your affection on things above, where Christ sits, not on the things of this world. Rejoice; he is coming, maybe today!