Two Major Events Pointing to the Lord’s Soon Return

By Dr. Ken Matto

Revelation 6:17 (KJV) For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

There are two major events which are presented to us quite plainly in the Scriptures which directly precedes the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophecy preachers of today keep telling us that we are to look to Israel as the place where final events will be happening. That is a total error and causes a diversion of where the Christian should be focusing on. God’s prophetic timetable is not some country in the Middle East but the actual body of believers.

2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 (KJV) That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

God had warned us that the day of the Lord will not come, that is, the return of Christ until there was first a falling away. The words “falling away” in the Greek is the word for “apostasy.” We see that Christianity is deep in the apostasy. All one has to do is look around and look at the counterfeit bibles, the teachings, the preachers, the music, the man centered Gospel of free will, the signs and wonders of the charismatic movement which is accepted in just about every church, women preachers and elders, unbelievers as pastors, ecumenical mindset, emergent church, the rejection of certain parts of Scripture, the rejection of Christ as God in the flesh, and who knows how many other false teachings which are heartily accepted by the modern church. The church has become a spiritual wasteland and that is one reason why so many Christians cannot feel at home in the majority of churches. The spirit in the churches do not bear witness with the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer.

Dovetailing the sin of the Apostasy in the church is the first of the two major signs which precedes the return of Christ. We have seen this openly in many countries around the world and that is Sodomy or Homosexuality. This sin had taken the front place in many news shows, newspapers, and many churches have embraced the idea of same-sex partners.

Romans 1:26-27 (KJV) For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Of all the sins which are listed in the Bible, God focuses in on this one and it is something how it came to the forefront of almost every situation. Politicians could not get elected unless they were in favor of same sex marriages. Christians have been punished by having their businesses attacked and closed down because they refused to embrace sodomy. Christians have faced heavy fines in courts because of their refusal to bow the knee to the homosexual lifestyle. But now in a recent poll the American public is starting to wane in their endorsement of the homosexual lifestyle. Between September 2-9, 2014, 2002 people were polled and their endorsement fell from 54% to 49%. So we see that even though the homosexual issue will not go completely away, its support does seem to be leveling off, but now with the Supreme Court voting in favor of Gay marriage, the support will probably rebound through the roof. This was the first major sign indicating the lateness of the hour and now that we see this sin is not taking the forefront as it did just one year ago, its waning has given place to the second major event which will happen just prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Recently we have seen the incredible world wide war on Christians and Christianity. We have seen that Christians are being persecuted like never before. The Muslims in countries like Iraq want to completely rid the country of Christians and one way these hatemongers are doing it is by killing as many as they can. In almost every country, Christians are being murdered and persecuted. In Revelation 6, we read about this very event which is happening right now.

Revelation 6:9-11 (KJV) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: {10} And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? {11} And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Notice what we read in revelation 6:9-11. In verse 9, we read about those who were slain for their testimony of the Word of God. In many Muslim countries it is against the law to even own a Bible. Then in verse 10, those true Christians who were slain are asking the Lord, how long will it be until He avenges their death. In verse 11, they are given white robes to rest, and here is the major end time prophecy which affects all of us. He tells them that there are going to be a certain number of Christians which are going to be killed because it is a prophecy which must be fulfilled. The word “should” in the Greek carries with the meaning of “be about to, must, intend, purpose.” In other words there are a certain number of Christians which are to suffer physical death but we do not know how many will suffer death nor do we know how long the pogrom will take.

Then once the last Christian which is predestined to physically be martyred is martyred, then the end comes.

Revelation 6:11-12 (KJV) And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. {12} And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Notice the transition from the revealing of the martyrdom of the Christians to the opening of the sixth seal which ushers in the last day, the return of Christ.

Revelation 6:12 (KJV) And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Revelation 6:12 parallels the truth taught in Matthew 24:29.

Matthew 24:29 (KJV) Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Notice that in both verses that the sun is darkened and because of that the moon cannot give its light. This is the great sign we look for right before the return of Christ. Notice it also states after the tribulation of those days. Right now Christians are going through a tribulation to the point of sacrificing their lives for the cause of Christ. It is now coming to the zenith because only a certain number of Christians are to be killed and then the Lord returns.

Matthew 24:30 (KJV) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Revelation 6:14-17 (KJV) And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. {15} And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; {16} And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: {17} For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 6:14-17 are parallel verses teaching the same truth. Once the sun is darkened, then it will be a short time when the Lord will return or it could be at that moment.

Is this same event found elsewhere in the Bible? Yes, this same event was prophesied by Isaiah in Isaiah 13, about 750 years before Matthew was written.

Isaiah 13:9-11 (KJV) Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. {10} For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. {11} And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

When will the Lord destroy all the sinners off the earth? That will occur on the last day when He returns and notice the same scenario exists in Isaiah’s prophecy as does in Matthew 24:29 & 30 and Revelation 6:14-17. The last sign mankind is given is the darkening of the sun and the moon will not give her light because she is only reflective and not a source of light. The stars in the heavens will also be darkened and not give their light. In other words, this universe will be plunged into total darkness right before the Lord returns.

Once the last Christian is killed, right on the heels of that event will be the events leading up the return of Christ. We see the killing of Christians and the persecution of them even on the main stream news which normally could not care less about Christians. Since this is a prophesied event, God is allowing it to be broadcast to the whole world. Revelation is not a chronological book and do not be duped into believing that it is. Prophecy preachers buy their mansions and a Rolls Royce because of Christian gullibility. What we see happening here right before our eyes on the nightly news is a biblically prophesied event leading to the return of Christ.

The time is very short and I am not making any date predictions but many Christians believe the hour is late and the reason for that is, IT IS! The whole world is against Christianity and they make no bones about it. Once the unbelievers believe they have sufficiently quelled Christianity, they will then believe in peace and safety but then sudden destruction will come upon them. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (KJV) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. The time is short and we need to continually be giving out the Gospel until the last day, whenever that will be.

Summary
The Bible is very clear that right on the heels of the martyrdom of the number of Christians which are predestined to be martyred, the second coming will occur. Right now, Christians are being murdered but there will be a last one someday and then we are going home. Let us look to the Lord for the day of our redemption is drawing near.

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