1) The Rapture of the Church and the 2nd coming of Christ are separate events.
A) The rapture of the church (Bride of Christ) is where believers will meet Jesus in the air and will be taken into heaven (I Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11, Revelation 3:10, Philippians 3:20-21, I Corinthians 15: 51-53, Luke 17: 34-37).
B) The 2nd coming of Christ is when Jesus will set up his earthly rule in Jerusalem, Israel for a 1,000 years following the tribulation period. Jesus will take his place on the throne of David as Israel’s Messiah after the nation cries out for their Messiah (Matthew 23:37-39, Revelation 19:11 - 20:6, Zechariah 12:1 -14:20, Romans 9:1 - 11:27, Matthew 24: 36-46).
C) The Anti-Christ, the man of lawlessness, the man of deception, the beast out of the sea, will rule the nations of the earth during the tribulation period for 42 months but will be destroyed during Christ’s 2nd coming (II Thessalonians 2: 1-12, Daniel 9: 20-27, Daniel 12:1-13, Mathew 24:15-35, Revelation 13:1-18).
D) Seven characters of symbolism in the book of Revelation to keep in mind as you read through this book.
1) The Red Dragon/Ancient serpent - Satan (Revelation 12).
2) The Beast of the Sea - Anti-Christ - Satan possessed world leader (Revelation 13).
3) The Beast of the Earth - A false prophet, religious world leader that deceives the nations to worship the beast of the Sea (Revelation 13).
4) The Woman (crowned with 12 stars- 12 tribes) - Israel (Revelation 12).
5) The Child/ The Lamb/ The root of David/ The Lion of the tribe of Judah - Jesus (Revelation 5).
6) Babylon the Great/ The mother of prostitutes/ The woman on the beast - The realm of demonic activity and deception (Revelation 17).
7) Two witnesses/ Two Prophets: They are prophets of God who have the power to call down fire, kill their enemies, and turn the water into blood (Many Theologians believe this to be Moses and Elijah - Revelation 11). Jesus met with Moses and Elijah on the mountain of transfiguration which symbolizes Christ’s fulfillment of the old covenant and the establishment of a new covenant. (Mathew 17:1-13).
Creator, Researcher and Host: Rob Fell
Production, Editor and Cover Art: Susan Cofer Fell
Contact: susan@susancoferfell.com
