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What Do We Know About the Future?
December 30, 2023
With a new year soon to be here, what do we know about the future? What we know about the future and what we might want to know about the future are different things. Imagine if we could know with certainty what stock prices would be in a year, or if we knew with certainty which teams would win championships. Imagine if we could know with certainty the winning lotto numbers for the upcoming year. Stock prices, champion sports teams, and winning lotto numbers are examples of some of the things we might want to know about. It makes for a nice and short escape from reality, but doesn’t do much else for us.
Getting closer to the Bible, what we know about the future and what we might want to know about the future remain different things. What we know about the future is given to us through prophecy, and is given to us from a perspective that can make it hard to nail down particulars. We are given major concepts, themes, and events of the future, but not every last detail. In looking at prophecy if we are focused on those minute details, we are focused on those things we might want to know about regarding the future while overlooking the broader view about the future that prophecy gives us.
It’s sort of like being in a forest on a road that you can find on a map. We might not know exactly where on that road in the forest we are and if we look up close to individual trees we might not be any closer to understanding exactly where we are, but if we take a look at any noticeable landmarks we can see, we will have a better idea of where we are. Prophecy works the same way. The Bible gives us some of those prophecy landmarks, and we will start today’s study by considering the impact of perilous times during the last days. During the last days times will be perilous and marked by people who are into self-love, greed, more talk than action, just to name a few. These people will have a form of godliness meaning outwardly they may appear religious, but they really don’t believe the show they are putting on.
2 Timothy 3:1-7
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
During these perilous times, people will not endure sound doctrine and will punt away their beliefs for personal benefit believing fables over the truth.
2 Timothy 4:1-4
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Also during these perilous times, some will depart the faith giving heed to what is taught by seducing spirits and teach against marriage while promoting a diet devoid of meat. In the modern era, cattle, animals created to be received with thanksgiving, are pegged as a major contributor to climate change because of the methane gas they produce through their digestive process.
1 Timothy 4:1-5
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Peter tells us that during this time there will be people who make fun of faith and those who await the return of Jesus while serving their own pleasure.
2 Peter 3:1-4
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
From looking at what is written in the Bible and looking around this world in which we live, we know we are living in the end days, but exactly where we are within the end days, is not yet clear. The disciples sought clarity from Jesus and wanted to know about the destruction of the temple, the return of Jesus Christ, and the last days. Jesus gave them much to think about and told them that many would use Christianity to deceive others in the midst of wars, rumors or wars, disease and starvation, and natural disasters. Jesus told them that this would be happening well before the last days.
Jesus added that the people of faith will come to a point where they are hated for what they believe and that many false prophets will arise. The people of faith will continue to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God and when this has been done, then the end will come. He then describes the great tribulation with the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. This great tribulation will be so bad that unless those days are shortened, nobody would live through it. Thankfully, God shortens these days for the sake of the elect of God.
Matthew 24:3-22
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?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand:
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:
Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
We know we are living in perilous times but we yet await the time that is so dangerous that unless God cuts those days short everyone would die. Moving closer to the end of time, we will come to a point where the Beast and False Prophet of Revelation are on the scene. Described as a composite animal steeped in blasphemy, this beast comes back from near death to the astonishment of those under the sway of Satan. When restored to power, this beast will have power for three and one-half years, forty-two months and will reap havoc on Christians around the world. This beast will be so incredible in the eyes of people it will be worshipped like a god, but only by those whose names are not written in the Book of Life.
Joining the beast will be another beast with a religious message and the ability to perform great signs and wonders who has the full authority of the first beast and directs people to worship that first beast, and gives life to the image of the beast. It’s curious that it’s referred to as the image of the beast and not just the beast. When we think of an image of anything our minds probably gravitate towards photos and statues. In the modern era it could also mean a deep-fake AI creation. I recently watched a news clip with a prominent CNN journalist where deep-fake and AI was central to the report, with the journalist pointing out that parts of the segment I watched where done by the journalist, and other parts a deep-fake AI creation to show how easy it is to bring an image of a person to life. This second beast, the false prophet, causes all to receive a mark in their right hand or forehead and that in order to buy or sell, people at this time will need to have that mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 13:1-18
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
If any man have an ear, let him hear.
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
The side of evil has the beast and false prophet, and the side of God will be represented by the two witnesses. These two witnesses will be an eyesore for the world as they represent the opposition. For “the opposition” to be so troublesome for the entire world suggests that at this time the world may have some type of peace like it has never known before, and “the opposition” is seen as a step backwards to how things used to be. Just like Satan offered Jesus Christ the world, Satan will be offering the people of earth peace like has never been known. The people under the sway of the beast don’t understand that they are deceived and that these two witnesses represent God, and represent God having incredible powers and abilities, almost like what we would expect out of a superhero.
These two witnesses prophecy for the same length of time as the beast and false prophet are in power, three and one-half years, and are described as being clothed in sackcloth, which is traditionally what people would wear while fasting. They likely will have a message of doom and gloom as perceived by the people who worship the beast. With the whole world seeming to be in a pretty good place, the message of the two witnesses is out of step and irritating to the world. During their ministry people will try to hurt them and the two witnesses will have God-given gifts to have fire proceed from their mouth to destroy those who seek to bring them harm.
At the end of their ministry, the two witnesses will be killed by the beast and their bodies will be left lying in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days as the world has a wild party, what in its description sounds a lot like what is called Christmas today. Once three and a half days after their death has passed, God will resurrect these two in the sight of all, and they will be called up to heaven in a cloud in the sight of all who were just rejoicing over their death. At that time there will be a huge earthquake causing one-tenth of the city buildings to collapse and killing seven thousand people. Those who survive will understand they witnessed the hand of God and will give glory to God, flip-flopping their allegiance in a matter of seconds. Verse
Revelation 11:1-14
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
We know there will be a final battle, the Battle of Armageddon, and that battle will be brought about by Satan, the beast, and the false prophet as a desperate attempt to remain in power.
Revelation 16:13-16
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Their ploy for one last battle will fail and the beast and false prophet will be tossed alive into the lake of fire. Their army will be utterly destroyed.
Revelation 19:17-21
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
We know the sign of Jesus Christ will appear in heaven immediately after the great tribulation, and instead of rejoicing at His return, the world will mourn. It is at this time that the elect are gathered from around the world. We may not know exactly when this will happen, but we do know we can look to the greater framework of prophecy to better understand where we are in prophecy. Leading up to the return of Jesus Christ this world will be unaware of what is coming and it will be much like the world leading up to the time of the flood during Noah’s time. It will only be when this world sees Jesus returning that they will understand a significant change is about to happen. Similarly for us, we cannot presume that Jesus will return on a timeline of our choosing, because we are told Jesus Christ will return when it is least expected.
Matthew 24:29-44
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her 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.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
We know when Jesus Christ does return, he will return in the clouds as he ascended. There will be no secret return of Jesus Christ. All will be able to see the return of Jesus Christ in the clouds.
Acts 1:9-11
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
We know eternal life awaits us. In our quest for eternal life we leave behind the life of sin we knew in this present life. No longer do we yield to sin but are servants of righteousness through our adherence to the faith delivered to us. Instead of serving sin, we grow the fruit of the spirit which ultimately leads to eternal life, and eternal life is a gift from God.
Romans 6:15-23
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We know that eternal life for us begins at the last trumpet. Those of us who are alive at that time will be changed into spirit and those who have died will be resurrected into spirit. Our victory over death and having eternal life is possible through Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
We know after the return of Jesus Christ will be the millennium, a thousand year rule of Jesus Christ during which Satan is bound up. It is after this thousand year period that all who have died not knowing Jesus Christ and God the Father will be resurrected to a physical life. Satan will be temporarily released from the bottomless pit at the end of the thousand years. We are not given a reason why Satan is released at this time. It might be because the time of the great tribulation was cut short to preserve life or it might be just to see how the people who were just resurrected respond when giving the choice between God and Satan. We do know at this time Satan will deceive Gog and Magog, and that God will destroy them.
Revelation 20:1-10
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him 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.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
After this will be a great white throne judgment for all who died not knowing Jesus Christ and God the Father. They will be judged according to the Book of Life and what they have done with their life. Those who are not found written in the Book of Life are tossed into the lake of fire, and after they die, death is also symbolically tossed into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
We know there will be a new heaven, a new earth, and a new Jerusalem to usher in a new era where there is no more pain or suffering, and that this will be made available to all who overcome.
Revelation 21:1-8
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.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
We have looked at many things yet to come and we do not know for sure exactly when these things will happen. We do know these things will happen and to ensure our place in this future time of incredible happiness, there is one thing we need to do. We need to endure to the end. The world in which we live will become increasingly cold. People will become more and more distant. There will be more sin and more evil, and what we must do is endure to the end, remaining faithful. Let’s revisit a passage we already looked at today.
Matthew 24:9-14
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
We look to the future not knowing exactly what will happen, but knowing a good outline of what will happen. What we are given in prophecy is more like a plot outline of a novel than the full text of that novel. We may not know all of the details of what will happen. At this time we do not yet know who the beast and false prophet will be, or who will be the two witnesses, but we do know at some point in the future these people will come into view. What we can do now is to live our life as a life of faith knowing many things are yet to be fulfilled as we come to the end of time, and most of all we must endure to the end to enjoy living in that new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem.
All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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