 |
WordExplain by James T. Bartsch |
|
"For
then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the
beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be." Matt. 24:21
|
|
                   |
Explanation of PreWrath Rapture
Part FOUR: Judgment and Kingdom Items 32-33 Restoration of 45 Days (Bronze-Colored Section) (Item 32)
Item 32. Sheep-Goat Judgment. Matthew 25:31-46 a. Title at the Top of the Pop-Up: "Sheep-Goat Judgment"
b. Scripture Given. Only Matthew 25:31-46 c. Title at the Bottom of the Time-Line: "Restoration 45 Days." What is the source of Kurschner's title, "Restoration 45 Days"? Most likely it is Dan. 12:12, "How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days." 1260 days or 3 1/2 years based on 30 day months is half (probably the last half) of the Tribulation. The figure of 1290 days (from the previous verse, Dan. 12:11) is an extra 30 days. 1,335 is an extra 45 days beyond that. For some reason Kurschner places the 30 days within the Tribulation / Parousia, judging by his time-line at the bottom. The extra 45 days he seems to place after the Tribulation, but has them overlapping into the Millennial Kingdom. It is confusing, to say the least, because at the bottom there continues to be the time-designation 0007, meaning the 7th year of Daniel's 70th week, while at the top Title, the Blue portion, at least reads 0007-1007, indicating that the Millennium proper has begun. For my own purposes, I would place both the 30 days and the 45 days after Christ's return, and before the start of the Millennium. d. Summary of Matthew 25:31-46. (1) The timing of this event is given clearly in the text. It is "when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him. He will sit on His glorious throne (Matt. 25:31). In other words, He will have already taken up His mantle of King. In my judgment believing Israeli officials will have already anointed Him with oil as King of Israel. Repentant Israelis will mourn their having killed their King over 2000 years earlier (Zech. 12:10-13:1). Unbelieving, insubmissive Israelis will have been banished from the Kingdom (Ezek. 20:33-38; Matt. 25:1-30). Now it is time for the King to judge the Gentiles (nations) who have somehow survived the Tribulation. (2) All the nations will be gathered before King Jesus. He will separate them as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The goats will be on the King's left, the sheep on the King's right (Matt. 25:32-33). In this process, the judgment will have already taken place, for the King is omniscient. He already knows whether each individual is a "sheep" or a "goat," and unerringly places each in the proper category. (3) In Matt. 25:34-40 the King will invite the "sheep" Gentiles into His Kingdom. His invitation will be based on these Gentiles' treatment of the King's brothers as unto Him. (4) In Matt. 25:41-45 the King will doom the "goat" Gentiles to eternal fire for their mistreatment and neglect of the King's "brothers." (5) In Matt. 25:46 we find the execution of the King's verdict: The "goat" Gentiles are banished to eternal fire, while the "sheep" Gentiles partake of eternal life in the King's Kingdom. The burning question is, "Who are the King's brothers?" Several points are to be made here. (i) They are not Gentiles, because the Gentiles are being judged here; (ii) Therefore they must be Jewish people; (iii) Jesus calls them His "brothers," so they must be Jewish people who have been believers in Him and survived the judgment of Israel which has already taken place (Matt. 25:1-30; Ezek. 20:33-38); (iv) The immediately preceding period has been the Tribulation period where people who believe in the true Messiah and Jewish people have been the targets of the Beast / Antichrist; (v) We conclude that only someone who is already a believer in Jesus during the Tribulation would risk His life to give comfort and aid to another Christian or to a Jewish person. So their treatment of Jesus' "brothers" will indicate whether or not they are believers in the true Messiah or worshipers of the False Messiah, the Beast / Antichrist; (vi) Only Gentiles who are believers in Jesus will be allowed to enter His Kingdom. Their works will have demonstrated their faith. Item 33. New Jerusalem, New Heaven, New Earth. Rev. 21:1-8 a. Title in the Pop-Up. "New Jerusalem, New Heaven, New Earth"
b. Scripture Given: Only Rev. 21:1-8 c. Time Frame at the Top of the Time-Line: "0007-1007." Obviously Kurschner takes literally the reference to 1000 years in Rev. 20:1-7. I agree with him entirely on that issue. d. Title at the Bottom of the Time-Line: "1000 Years" e. Analysis of Rev. 21:1-8. (1) John states that he saw a New Heaven and a New Earth (Rev. 21:1). (2) He stated, further, that the first heaven and first passed away, and that there was no longer any sea (Rev. 21:1). (3) I take it that the reference to "no sea" means there was no "salt sea" as there is today. The salty sea of today was caused by the great fountains of the deep being opened up (Gen. 7:11) and causing enormous erosion of the salts locked up in the mantle of the earth. A salty sea was a sign of judgment and there will be no sign of judgment on New Earth. (4) John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem in the process of coming down out of heaven from God. It looked as glorious as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2). (5) John heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "The tabernacle (skēnḗ, 4633) of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them" (Rev. 21:3). The idea is that God is going to leave His normal dwelling place, up in heaven, and will come down to New Earth to "tent" or "camp out" for eternity among redeemed humans, whom He obviously dearly loves. (6) God will rectify all the ravages of sin: tears, death, mourning, crying, pain (Rev. 21:4). (7) The One sitting on the throne declared He was making all things new (Rev. 21:5). (8) The One sitting on the throne made an offer through John: "It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost" (Rev. 21:6). (9) He continued, "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be His God and He will be My Son" (Rev. 21:7). (10) Then the One sitting on the throne made an awful observation: "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8). (1)
He has placed the New Heavens, New Earth, and New Jerusalem in the 1000
year reign of Christ. Chronologically that is not accurate. (2)
The Millennium does, indeed, last a thousand years, but it does not end
on a happy note. Satan has been bound in the Abyss for the entire thousand years
(Rev. 20:1-3), and he has no access to people in their natural bodies
who are living out their lives. Consequently, he cannot deceive them. (3)
But after the thousand years have been completed, he will be released
from the Abyss and will succeed in deceiving millions of people to
revolt against Jesus, the true King. They will attempt to surround the
beloved city of Jerusalem and wipe out the King and his entire
administration (Rev. 20:7-9). (4)
Their revolt will be short-lived. Fire will explode from heaven and
consume all of the rebels. Satan will be seized and thrown into the
Lake of Fire and Brimstone, joining the Beast and the False Prophet
(Rev. 20:9-10). (5) Then there will appear a "Great White Throne"
and One sitting thereon. The entire universe will be then destroyed,
and no place will be found for earth or heaven (Rev. 20:11). (6) Then all the wicked dead of all ages will appear before the Great White Throne
and will be judged for their works. If their names have not been
written in the Lamb's Book of Life, they will be cast forever into the
Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death (Rev. 20:12-15). (7)
It is THEN that God will create New Heavens and a New Earth, replete
with New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven (Rev. 21:1-2).
The present tense, "coming," is used, and I take it that means the city of New
Jerusalem will perpetually orbit around New Earth. (8)
Kurschner did not describe the great glories of New Jerusalem and New
Earth. Perhaps he could have at least printed out the Scripture (Rev.
21:9-22:5). (9) In summary,
New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem will not appear during the
Millennium. They will only appear after the Millennium, after Satan's
Revolt, after the destruction of the present earth and universe, and
after the Great White Throne Judgment.
Part B. Anomalies of a PreWrath Rapture. Pending Updated March 13, 2021
|
|||