RockPointe Church
Thank you for joining us! We exist to love God with all that we are while making more and better followers of Christ. You can find more information at rpc.fm/connect.
TRIBULATION
- Will last seven years between rapture and millennium.
- Last 3.5 years especially intense. “Great Tribulation” (Rev 7:4, Mt 24:21, Dan 12:1 & Jer 30:7)
- Time of Great Destruction (Is. 2:1-12, Is. 22:1-5, Is. 34:1-14, Jer. 46:3-6, 10, Ezek. 7:5-7)
Tribulation Purpose
- To Judge the Nations
- To Discipline Israel
- To Save Israel
- To Establish the Millennial Kingdom
Key Tribulation Events (Rev 6-19)
- Antichrist rises to supreme power – builds new Jewish Temple in Jerusalem establishes false “peace” for 3.5 years.
- God seals 144,000 Jews for world evangelism
- 2 Prophetic Witnesses teach unharmed at the New Temple for 3.5 years
- Then, Anti-Christ declares himself as Messiah and God; defiles temple in Jerusalem.
- Has False Prophet declare world to worship anti-Christ.
- Unparalleled chaos, persecution, and martyrdom unleashed upon all Jews and Christians.
- Gentiles overrun the temple
- God unleashes global disasters (seal, trumpets and bowls).
- The central global city “Babylon” – the financial, political, religious center is destroyed.
- Jesus shows up, set things right and establishes his Millennial Kingdom
RAPTURE
Removal of the Church form the Earth “Caught Up”
Pretribualtionism (1 Thes 4:16; Ti. 2:13; Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Co. 15:51-53; 1 Thes 4:15-5:11)
- The Church will not go through the tribulation as it is raptured before the tribulation beings
- Belief that no Christians will be on the earth at the start of the Tribulation (Rev. 3:10)
- The Church will never come under God's wrath (Jn 5:24; Rom. 5:9; 8:1; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9).
- The Spirit’s work of restraining evil will be absent during the Tribulation (2 Thess. 2:7-8).
- There is no mention of the Church in Revelation 4—19
- Since the Rapture is imminent (can happen at any moment) it must be pretribulational.
Posttribulationism
- The Church will go through the tribulation
- Church’s rapture will coincide with the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation.
- Day of the Lord could refer to judgement at end of tribulation, not the whole period.
- Deliverance from wrath can occur as protection during rather than removal from.
Midtrubulationism
- Belief that rapture will take place at the mid-point of the tribulation.
- Church will go through part, first half, of the tribulation, but not the Great Tribulation.
- Based off “Day of the Lord” meaning second half of tribulation.
Partial Rapture
- Believers raptured in multiple stages dependent upon watchfulness and faithfulness.
- Hardly any biblical evidence
- Implies salvation by works
MILLENIUM
Premillennialism
- Literal and symbolic interpretation of events
- Jesus will actually return to earth for a literal thousand years
- Satan will be bound for 1,000years. (Rev. 20:1-6)
- At this time Christ will fulfill all promises God made to ancient Israel.
- Jesus on earth will rule personally in fulfillment of the Davidic promises. (Ezk. 37:23-28)
- The entire earth will be filled with the knowledge of God. (Isa. 11:1-2, 9)
- Israel will occupy all the land promised Abraham from Nile to the Euphrates. (Gen. 15:18)
- The Holy Spirit will personally indwell the believing Jews and gentiles. (Jer. 31:31-34)
- The Curse on man and the physical creation will be lifted. (Isa. 11:6-9, Isa. 65:20-25)
- There will be world peace and prosperity. (Isa. 2:4, Isa. 62:8-9)
Postmillennialism
- Christ returns after the millennium
- Revelation is mostly a figurative book so not a literal thousand years - just a long time.
- We are already in the millennium - commences sometime during the present age.
- The Church will so positively affect the world, that it will increase in knowledge, goodness, and spirituality climax as Christ descends at His Second Coming.
- Universal preaching and acceptance of the Gospel, and a complete and total victory of the kingdom of God, over the forces of Satan and unbelief.
- See tribulation as describing church history but with intensity of tribulation decreasing
- Do not expect a rapture. They do however expect Christ bodily return.
Amillennialism
- “A” = NO – Amillennial = No millennium
- Denies a thousand year reign of Christ on the Earth, prior to the end of the world.
- No earthly return of Christ for a literal Thousand years (long time)
- Promises made to Israel, David, and Abraham in the Old Testament are fulfilled by Jesus Christ and his church during this present age
- Revelation & Apocalyptic Lit. to be interpreted spiritually, allegorically, & metaphorically
- Believe we are currently living in the Millennial Kingdom
- The binding of Satan happened at the Cross
- Understand the “tribulation” as a description of the history of the church
- Do not expect a rapture. They do, however, expect Christ’s bodily return.
Millennial Ending
- Satan will be released once more to deceive the nations, then defeated and thrown in lake of fire (Rev. 20: 7-10)
- Earth is removed and all without Christ are resurrected and judged. (Rev. 20: 11-15)
- The creation of a new heaven and earth. (Rev. 21)
HOW TO LIVE IN THE END
We ought to be people of high hopes and hard work.
Live with your eye on the sky and your hand on the plow.
Romans 8:18-23 ESV
1 Peter 4:7 ESV
2 Peter 3:8-10 ESV
Revelation 7:4 ESV
Matthew 24:21 ESV
Daniel 12:1 ESV
Jeremiah 30:7 ESV
Isaiah 2:1-12 ESV
Isaiah 22:1-5 ESV
Isaiah 34:1-14 ESV
Jeremiah 46:3-6 ESV
Jeremiah 46:10 ESV
Ezekiel 7:5-7 ESV
Daniel 9:24-27 ESV
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 ESV
1 Thessalonians 4:16 ESV
Titus 2:13 ESV
John 14:1-3 ESV
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 ESV
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 ESV
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 ESV
Revelation 3:10 ESV
John 5:24 ESV
Romans 5:9 ESV
Romans 8:1 ESV
1 Thessalonians 1:10 ESV
1 Thessalonians 5:9 ESV
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 ESV
Revelation 20:1-4 ESV
Revelation 20:1-6 ESV
Ezekiel 37:23-28 ESV
Isaiah 11:1-2 ESV
Isaiah 11:9 ESV
Genesis 15:18 ESV
Jeremiah 31:31-34 ESV
Isaiah 11:6-9 ESV
Isaiah 65:20-25 ESV
Isaiah 2:4 ESV
Isaiah 62:8-9 ESV
Revelation 20:7-10 ESV
Revelation 20:11-15 ESV
2 Peter 3:10-11 ESV
2 Peter 3:14 ESV
2 Peter 3:17 ESV
2 Peter 3:18 ESV
1 Peter 4:7-10 ESV