Advent In Revelation To Second Advent And Beyond

This is the final piece, last in a series from the Hebrew Bible and Revelation. Admittedly, it’s messy Eschatology at worse, but it is true to the text and narrative at best.

My hope has not been to interpret the passages for you, but rather to share them, review the story, and perhaps lead you to draw some conclusions. These are primarily my views and those of my faith tribe.

I’m sure we can talk about various views, but I think it takes just as much faith for you to believe what you do as it does for me to believe. We can pull our Scriptures out in support of our views, but it really isn’t transformative unless it’s based on faith anyway, and I’m hoping to present something transformative.

It’s been a good study.

Enjoy,
Rev. Jared

Revelation 19 setup #shorts

John emerges from Revelation 12 – which seems to be a flashback to the Advent and the flight to Egypt – into the main narrative again.

Once again, the scenes are changing back and forth between Heaven and Earth. There is finally a growing body of believers again on Earth.

Tribulation

This is considered to be the Tribulation period. It’s not only the Tribulation because of the way the Antichrist is controlling people and persecuting the Church.

It’s also the Tribulation because God’s wrath is being poured out on Earth. God has already rescued His people once in the Rapture, like He rescued Noah’s family. Now He’s pouring out His punishment on those who oppose Him. Yet in His mercy, there are those who are turning to Him. But the battle rages on, and gets more intense, until the Second Advent.

All the armies of the world, under the command of the Antichrist, gather to fight against God. There is a valley called Armageddon, and it is there we will witness the unprecedented Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16.16).

This is bigger that the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The Devil and Antichrist are leading the armies of the world against God, near Jerusalem. There is a mirror passage in Zechariah 14 and it’s gruesome (like Raiders of the Lost Ark… you would know if you examined the language to understand what happens).

Second Advent

Jesus re-enters the atmosphere in real-time, on a white horse (Revelation 19.11-21). This is the Second Advent. The hosts of Heaven ride behind him.

The enemy doesn’t stand a chance. The armies of earth are decimated.

Jesus sets up the prophesied, Earthly reign of the Messiah that we’ve all been waiting for.

I’m not sure who’s going to be on those horses behind Jesus, but I think we have a very real choice to make.

Do I want to be riding a heavenly steed following the King of King and Lord of Lords?

Or do I want to make some wrong choices, wake up one day, report for duty, and suddenly be watching this heavenly army descend on me (with no place to run on the valley floor of Armageddon)?

Do I want to be in God’s army, or wind up as vulture food (verses 17-18)?

Millennium

After this battle Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven reigns on Earth for a thousand years, an epoch known as the Millennium. Many different views about the Last Days revolve around what the particular group believes about the Millennium.

Then the devil tries to raise an army and fight one more time, but it seems to be like a joke, like he’s fighting with sticks and stones. Jesus wins again of course, and banishes him to a fiery Hell.