1. Among bible-believing Christians, what are the major areas of disagreement concerning the return of Jesus?

There are basicly three areas of disagreement:

A: Will the Church be raptured before the tribulation or will she go through the tribulation?

B: The timing of the rapture with regards to the sequence of events.

C: When does the wrath of God begin, does it incompass the whole of the week of Daniel?

2. Before the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth what will happpen to the true Church according to Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 2 Thessalonians 5:9?

Most Christians agree that the Church will be removed (raptured) before the wrath of God because God has promised to remove the Church before the outpouring of His wrath.

3. Are Christians exempt from tribulation or persecution?

Scriptures are clear that believers are not promised freedom from persecution or tribulation but that they can, in fact, expect persecution and tribulation because they are Christians (John 15:18, 19; 1 Thessalonians 3:3,4; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Timothy 3:1, 12; 1 Peter 4:12, 13.

Believers will not have to go through the wrath of God but they are not promised exclusion from the wrath of the world and Satan including the persecution of God's elect during the Great Tribulation by Antichrist.

4. What are the two pivotal New Testament texts given primarily for the believer's understanding of endtime events and why are they pivotal?

The Olivet Discourse recorded in Matthew 24-25 and the book of Revelation. They are pivotal because both endtime teachings are the direct teaching of Christ Himself.

5. What are the basic tenents of the pretribulational rapture position?

They wrongly maintain that the "seventieth week of Daniel" corresponds to the Day of the Lord when God executes His wrath upon the earth, and therefore the rapture must occur before the beginning of this seven year period. Thus the Rapture position is referred to as "pretribulational," with the entire seventieth week being designated as the "tribulation period," or the time of God's wrath.

6. Is the seventieth week of Daniel ever called the "tribulation period" anywhere in scripture?

There is not one scripture to support the premise that the tribulation period includes the whole of the seventieth week of Daniel.

7. What is the orgin of the "pretribulation" Rapture position?

The orgin of this position is relatively new, dating back to about 1830. Some, like John Walvoord in his book "The Rapture Question" attribute the position to John Darby and his associates. Others give Edward Irving (considered to be the father of modern day Pentecostalism) credit for orginating this position. And some believe it orginated from a fifteen year old girl named Margret MacDonald through a vision.

These people may have been influenced by a Jesuit Catholic Emmanuel Lacunza, who wrote a book "The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty" published in Spanish in1812 under the assumed name of Rabbi Juan Josaphat Ben Ezra, as a converted Jew. The book was translated into English in 1826 by Edward Irving and published in 1827.

For an indepth study on the orgin of the pre-trip position check out the study entitled "The Orgin of the Pretrib Theory" on my homepage.

8. Explain "Imminence" from a pretribulational view?

Since Christ's ascension back to heaven as recorded in Acts 1, no prophetic event needs to be fulfilled before Christ's second coming. In other words, He could come at any moment. You hear many preachers say, "He could come before this service is over". This position is the critical cornerstone of pretrbulationism. For a more indepth study on this topic check out the study entitled "Imminence is it a Biblical Doctrine" on my homepage.

9. Did the early church fathers teach Imminence, the doctrine of an "any moment" return of Christ?

No. We may fairly conclude that pretribulationists and others who find imminence in the Ante-Nicene fathers are grasping at straws. The early church fathers uniformly expected a yet furture persecution of Antichrist prior to the Lord's return.

10. What is the prewrath position concerning the timing of the Rapture?

Prewrath is a balanced and biblical synthesis of pre-, mid-, and posttribulationalism with a refinement of the timing issue that brings harmony to all the rapture passages in question.

The prewrath view contends that the church will go through the great tribulation by Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel, but will be raptured before the wrath of God is poured out when God cuts short the persecution of Antichrist.

11. Why is the prewrath position and the position of the early church fathers so similar?

The position of all the early church fathers before the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, with only two execptions, was that the church would undergo the persecution of Antichrist during the great tribulation before the return of Christ, from such persecution He would rescue His elect at His coming.

12. Who were some of the early church fathers who taught that the church would face the onslaught of the Antichrist?

Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, the pastor of Hermas, Hippolytus, Melito of Sardis, Methodius, Tertullian, Syrian, Commodianus, Victorinus,and Lactantius stated clearly in their writings that the church would undergo the persecution of antichrist before they were raptured.

13. What caused the church to move away from this position after A. D. 325?

The persecution of the church by Antichrist was clearly the position of the early church. Roman Catholicism under Agustine, heavily influenced by Orgin, then moved away from the literal interpreation of end-time events and allegroized prophetic scripture.

14. If a Christian's view of the end-times does not affect his salvation, what difference does it make what we believe about it?

Those who believe that they will be gone before the tribulation starts will enter the seventieth week of Daniel not realizing they are in it and be unprepared for it. Christians will need to know the full truth of those times if they are to remain faithful to their Lord and confident in His Word.

The degree to which Christians will be persecuted by the Antichrist and his ungodly forces in the last days (especially the great tribulation) wil be directly dependent on the degreee they are spiritually prepared.

15. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6, do Christians have any excuse for being taken by surprise in the end-times?

No. For the faithful believer, Christ is not coming like a "thief in the night," but "you brethern are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief."

We are told to watch and be sober so that we can be spiritually aware of the signs so that we are not overtaken like the people in darkness.

16. According to Revelation 1:3 and 22:16, who is the book of Revelation directed to?

The book of Revelation is directed to the "churches" - not only to the seven churches in Asia Minor in John's day but to alll the churches throughout the world. Notice that after the address to each church that he who has an ear to hear are to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.It is primarily concerned with the events of the last days from the perspective of the church.

17. What are the three basic characteristics of the seven churches of Revelation that will characterize the church (or Christians individually at the time of the return of Christ?

(a) The compromising church. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Laodicea, Thyatira, these churches represent varing degrees of comprimise that will be prevelent in the end times.

(b) The dead church (Sardis).

(c) The faithful church (Philadelphia).

The references to dead, faithful and compromising churches are references not only to the church itself, but also to the individuals who comprise the church in general. In other words, the faithful church will be made up of primarily of faithful Christians but may also include dead and compromising individuals as well.

18. What is the outcome of the compromising churches represented by Thyatira according to Revelation 2:22, if she doesen't repent?

Jesus said that she would be cast into a bed of sickness and then into GREAT TRIBULATION. There is only one Great Tribulation and that is during the rule of Antichrist during the seventhieth week of Daniel.

19. What is the promise given to the "faithful church" in Revelation 3:10?

Because she has kept the word of Jesus' perseverance, Jesus will keep her from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

20. In Rev. 3:10, is the translation "keep you from" the best and most common translation of the Greek words "tereo ek? "

The Greek phrase translated "keep from" is "tereo ek." This phrase is a combination of the verb tereo,translated "to keep," and the prepresition ek,translated "from."

In an article in Bibliotheca Sacra (July-September 1980, p. 253). Jeffrey L. Townsendstates that: The prepresition ekis the focal point of the debate over whether Revelation 3:10 promises internal or external preservation from the hour of testing. The standard Greek lexcions and grammars are in agreement on the basic meaning of the prepresition. According to A. T. Robertson, "The word means 'out of,' 'out from within,' not like apoor napa." ( A Grammer of the Greek New Testament in the light of Historical Research, 4th ed. [New York: Gorage H. Doran, 1923], p. 596)

Therefore the basic meaning of ek is "out from within" and best carries the idea "deliverance from," rather than the simple idea of keeping "from," giving the reader the false idea of an external preservation from, rather than a deliverance "out from within," an existing condition that the object or subject of the sentence is in the midst of, prior to the deliverance, out from within.

In his book The Approaching Advent of Christ: An Examination of the Teaching of J. N. Darby and His Followers, Alexander Reese observes that: the use of ekin Rev. 3:10 distinctly implies that the Overcomer [the genuine believer] would be in the hour of tribulation; the promise refers either to removal from out of the midst of it, or preservation through it. ([Londan:Marshall, Morgan, and Scott, 1937], p. 205)

In his book The Church and the Tribulation,Robert Gundry maintains that tereo means "to keep or protect in a sphere of danger," and that because ek means emergence "out from within," the combination of the two greek words (tereo ek) means to protect believers in a sphere of danger (the tribulation period), with a final emergence out from within this sphere" (pp.54-59).

21. What is the most accurate translation of the two Greek words tereo ek as used in this text?

God's protection while "within a sphere of great danger" (ie: during the great tribulation of Antichrist) with the promise of eventual removal out from within that dangerous time when God cuts the great tribulation short for the elects sake.

22. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, in what other passage is tereo ek used in a similar way?

Along with Rev. 3:10, the phrase tereo ek is found one other time in the New Testament. Again it is John who uses it, thereby giving us a better understanding of exactly how he meant the phrase to be used. Jesus' great high-priestly prayer was given for the sake of all those in every age who trust in Him. Christ's apeal to His Father in this prayer has had and will continue to have the same meaning to His saints in every age as it will to those who will live during that last great hour of testing: " "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from [tereseis...ek] the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. " Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world John (17:15-18 15).

The contex of John 15:17 shows that Christ is praying for the protection of the believer while he is still in this world, the "sphere of danger" over which Satan rules. If Christ were referring to keeping believers while he is outside the sphere of danger (which is what many would have us believe is the meaning of tereo ek in Rev. 3:10), then a phrase such as "take them out of the world (as in the first half of verse 15) would have been far more appropriate. Compareing Scripture with Scripture, we see that protection while within a sphere of danger, during the time the world is under the control of the evil one, is exactly what Christ was referring to in John 17:15. In his first epistle John explains, "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God [Christ] keeps him [the believer that is in the world] , and the wicked one does not touch him" (1 Jn 5:18). The idea is clearly that of protection while within the sphere of danger, not that of keeping the believer outside the sphere of danger.

In addition, using this primary interpretation of tereo ek, several critical passages in support of the pre-wrath position take on special siginficance. In reply to John's question about the identity of the great multitude "standing before the throne and before the Lamb," one of the elders explained, "These are the ones who come out of [ek, out from within] the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev.7:9, 14). Peter declares that "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from [ek, out from within] tempation [peirasmos translated testing in Rev. 3:10]... (2 Pet. 2:9).

In summary, if those two Greek words (tereo ek) are taken at face value, with their primary and customary meanings, the inescapable conclusion is that Rev. 3:10 does not refer to divine protection of believers by taking them away from the place of affliction before it occurs, but to their divine protection while they are in the midst of affliction--that is , in the midst of the great tribulation by Antichrist, refered to as "the hour of testing." During the last half of the seventieth week God's people will for a time remain within Satan's wordly sphere of evil, eventually to be forever removed from it when God cuts short that great tribulation by Antichrist and takes His saints "out from within" to be with Himself.

23. What is the underlying idea behind the word "testing" in its context of Rev. 3:10, "the hour of testing?"

" Testing" is translated from the Greek word "peirasmos". It carries the basic idea of putting to a proof. The testing will put to proof those who are truly saved and those who are not.

24. What important truth do we find in Peter's use of the same Greek word, "peirasmos,"in 1 Peter 4:12 and 2 Peter 2:9?

In both cases, the believer is present during the peirasmos, not kept away or outside of it while it is happening. This of course substantiates the proper translation of tereo ek, used in Revelation 3:10.

25. What are the three characteristics that characterize the faithful church during the endtimes?

(a) She will persevere, will keep Christ's Word, and will not deny the name of Christ - In other words she does not take the mark of the beast or worship his image.

(b) She will be kept and protected while within this sphere of danger (that is, the hour of testing, the great tribulation), and Jesus will eventually deliever her out from within this sphere of danger - when He returns to "cut short" those days of terrible distress, rapture the true church, and pour out His holy wrath upon the unrighteous.

(c) Christ will give the faithful a crown and a place of great honor and intimate fellowship with God in his eternal kingdom.

26. From Revelation 3:11, how do we know that the prophecy concerning the Philadelphia church is an end-time prophecy?

Because of the phrase "I am coming quickly," which is clearly referring to His second coming.

27. What are the characteristics of the spiritually dead church represented by Sardis?

(a) The dead church will be totally oblivious to the consequences of worshiping Antichrist, or his image, and the taking of his mark. Many will do this without hesitation, still thinking themselves to be "good christians," conforming to the world for the sake of survival instead of trusting in Christ.

(b) When God's wrath is poured out on the Satanic world kingdom ruled by Antichrist, it will come upon unregenerate church members "like a thief in the night."

28. Using the church at Thyatira as an example of compromising Christians in the last days, why does it best characterize the church in general, just before the end times?

This church is not spiritually dead, but it is less than spiritually faithful. It is made up of believers who have accepted Christ as their Savior but they are not living in his will or in obedience to His Word. They obey denominational traditions and constitutions even when they are in opposition to God's Word.

29. According to Rev. 2:20, what is the foremost problem in this church?

False teachers in the church were corrupting the gospel and causing many true believers, Christ's "bond servants," to stray from right belief and right living. This indicates that being a Christian is not in itself a protection against false doctrine.

30. What does Rev. 2:22 reveal will happen to the "bond servants" within the compromising church?

The true but unfaithful believers who have committed spiritual adultery by following those false teachers will suffer "great tribulation, unless they repent.

31. In Rev. 2:22 Christ uses the term "great tribulation." How many times is this term used in the New Testament and where?

It is only used two other times, Matthew 24:21 and Revelation 7:14. In both cases the term is dealing with the great tribulation of the last days.

32. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, then, what can be our only conclusion concerning the term"great tribulation" in the Thyatira context?

In all three passages Christ was referring to the same thing, the great tribulation of Antichrist that will occur in the last days.

33. What is an important fact to note in Rev. 2:23 about the church in general?

It is espically important to note that the church definitely will still be on earth during the great tribulation by Antichrist, contrary to what many believe. This is shown clearly in v. 22 when Christ speaks first of the "great tribulation" that the compromising church will experience and then in verse 23 says that "all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts." In other words, "all the churches" will be present during and will know of the great tribulation (v. 22) of compromising Christians at the hands of Antichrist and will realize who Christ is as they witness first hand what is happening.

34. Why will the compromissing church be required to face the persecution of Antichrist?

The compromising churches (and/or believers) that enter the seventieth week of Daniel are promised they will be spared God's day-of-the-Lord wrath (Rom. 5:9' 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9), but not the persecution of Antichrist during his great trbulation of God's elect. They will experience this persecution because they will believe what they have been falsely taught, without testing the words of men spouting denominational biases against the Word of God.

Before Christ terminates the affliction by Antichrist on the compromsing, He will sovereignly use this affliction to cleanse and purify these Christians, "to make [them] stand in the presence of His glory blameless" (Jude 24). Hebrews 126-7 reads, "for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives. It is for disicipline that you endure, God deals with you as sons. Antichrist persecutes the compromising believers to try and get them to deny God and some will. But God uses Antichrist's persecution to make them a "pure virgin" 2 Cor. 11:2.

35. What do we know about the faithful church (true Christians) represented by the Philadelphia church that will enter the seventieth week of Daniel?

The faithful will be offered God's protection within the sphere of danger-- that is, protection during the great tribulation by Antichrist, throughout he will attempt yo kill all those who do not worship the beast, Antichrist, or his image. The faithful will be delievered out from within the great tribulation just before the day of the Lord's wrath is poured out upon the unrighteous.

36. What do we know about the spiritually dead church (false Christians) that will enter the seventieth week?

If they do not repent and turn to Christ, they will lose all oportunity for salvation and will endure the full wrath of Hid day-of-the-Lord judgement, which will come upon them like a "thief in the night."

37. What do we know about the compromising Church (unfaithful Christians that will enter the seventieth week of Daniel?

They will face the full brunt of the great tribulation by Antichrist--the hour of testing--as a testimony to all churches that Christ is the one and only true Lord who searches the hearts and minds of men, the one who rewards or punishes with perfect justice and righteousness, as He permits persecution by Antichrist to purify and prepare His bride to stand pure and blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

38. Christ's first comming accomplished four specific things:

(1) He came as the passover Lamb to permanently pay the price for sin.

(2) He came as the passover Lamb to permanently overcome the effect of sin.

(3) He came as the passover Lamb to permantently redeem those chosen to be His people.

(4) He came to spell the certain doom of Satan and his rule over the earth.

According to Scripture what are four major objectives that Christ's second coming will fulfill?

First, God's Word predicts that Christ will rescue the citizen's of God's kingdom living upon the earth when He appears, before He systematically and thoroughly destroys the inhabitants of the kingdom of Satan in His day-of-the-Lord judgment. See 2 Peter 2:9.

Second, when Christ returns He will destroy all unrighteousness (including the tares that fall away during their great hour of testing) during the day of the Lord. See Zeph. 1:18; Isa. 13:11; and 2 Peter 3:7.

Third, Christ will reclaim the natural line of Abraham (Israel) completing the spiritual kingdom of God. See Hab. 3:13.

Fourth, Christ will reclaim physical possession of the earth when He defeats Antichrist and his armies at the final battle of Armageddon. See Rev. 19:11, 19-21.

39. Blinded by his unbounded pride, Satan, the ruler of the kingdom of darkness, has a counter-strategy to ward of the prophetic plan of God for his overthrow. What were Satan's strategies and how did he carry them out?

Satan's first strategy--his attempt to destroy or disqualify the line of Messiah (Christ)-- is history, the results of which are recorded carefully in Scripture.

Unable to completely deceive God's chosen nation, Satan has simultaneously carried out his parallel strategy of Israel's complete destruction by the hands of Gentile nations known as the "beast empires." The first seven of these empires are now history. Now that Israel is again back in her own land with control of her own holy city, Jeruaslem, the eight and last beast empire can become a reality; and when it does, "this generation [that witnesses the eight beast empire] will not pass away until all these things [end-time events] take place" (Matt. 24:34).

Satan failed in his first strategy--in his attempt to destroy or disqualitify the natural line of Messiah before the birth of Christ.

Satan's second strategy-- his attempt to destroy or disqualitify Christ Himself-- became all the more bold. And like his first strategy, the failure of his second strategy is also recorded in Scripture. He tried to take Jesus's life while He was still an infant (Matt. 2:1-18). He tried to kill Jesus during his earthly ministry through the Jewish leaders (see Matt. 12:14; 26:4; John 5:18; 7:1). Satan tried to disqualify Christ through temptation (see Matt. 4:1-10; Heb. 2:18; 4:15).

Realizing he has no further opportunity to kill or disqualitify the Redeemer and King, Satan's final strategy will be to rekindle and redouble his efforts to kill any citizen or potential citizen of the spiritual kingdom of God. Therefore in the last days Satan's target will be the "the women" (the natural line of Israel) whose salvation will complete the spiritual kingdom of God, and with tht "rest of her (the woman) offspring wo keep the commandaments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (the Church) (Rev. 12:13-17).

Any true believer chosen of God - Jew or Gentile - the Church, in reality all the spiritual descendants of Abraham alive during the last days are included as the offspring of "the woman" Israel. (See Rom. 4:9-11, and Gal. 3:29).

40. What must a believer do to ensure his protection during the "time of testing" when Antichrist unleashes the fury of Satan against God's people?

Be sure you are a part of the faithful Church by being obedient to the Word of God. Do not believe anything you hear unless you have searched the Scriptures to see if what was said is truth. Remember the only doctrines that you are to uphold are the doctrines of the Bible. Believe and obey God's Word no matter what your denomination believes or says.