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The Bible Believers Guide To Understanding The Differences Between The Pretribulation Rapture Of The Church And The Second Coming

So we see many Christian churches today, who do not rightly divide their Bibles, are teaching their people that there is no difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming. They say that these are one and the same event.

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The day of Christ, the Rapture is to be looked forward to, the Day of the Lord, the Second Coming, is to be greatly feared
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The day of Christ, the Pretribulation Rapture is to be looked forward to, the Day of the Lord, the Second Coming, is to be greatly feared

There is an old adage that says “things that are different are not the same”. As Christians, we have a nasty tendency to read everything from Matthew to Revelation and try to apply it all to the Church. This will not work, because all the New Testament is not written to the Christian Church. The Church is only one part of it. Much of the New Testament is written to the Jews of that time, and to the Jews that will be living during the time of Jacob’s Trouble, otherwise known as the Great Tribulation. And some of it is written to the unbelieving Gentiles. This is why Paul commands Timothy to teach people how to “rightly divide” their Bibles to know which of the three groups God is speaking to at any given time.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

So we see many Christian churches today, who do not rightly divide their Bibles, are teaching their people that there is no difference between the Pretribulation Rapture and the Second Coming. They say that these are one and the same event. But we will show you conclusively in this article that, because of the manifold differences between the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, that it is impossible for them to be the same event.

#1: The Pretribulation Rapture is the ‘blessed hope’ while the Second Coming is a Day to be greatly feared.

We start with this one first because it is the one difference most overlooked in a study of the differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming. In Titus 2:13, talking about the Rapture, Paul calls it “the Blessed Hope”, a day of great comfort and joy. But in Amos 5:18, talking about the Day of the Lord, which is in fact the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, God tells us that it is a day of “great woe”, and greatly to be feared! Now, how can the Rapture and the Second Coming possibly be the same? Read Joel 3 for more on the ferocity and woefulness of the Second Coming. Paul calls the Rapture of the Church the “day of Christ”. The Second Coming is called the “day of the Lord”. The day of Christ is to be looked forward to, the Day of the Lord to be feared. If you are someone who believes the Bible, then I could stop this article right here as I have established my case well beyond the shadow of any doubt, reasonable or otherwise. But for  you who are ” fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” then we have added another 9 rock-solid reasons why the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ cannot be the same event.

  • “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “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.” 2 Thessalonians 2:2 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.” Amos 5:18 (KJV) – The Second Coming
  • “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.” Isaiah 13:9 (KJV) – The Second Coming

#2: In the Pretribulation Rapture, Jesus comes for his Church, at His Second Coming He brings the Church with Him.

Paul teaches over and over again that at the Rapture, the Church is taken up and out from off the face of the Earth. But at the Second Coming, Jesus returns with His saints. Another fatal difference when trying to reconcile the two events as one. The first it’s a “going up”, and in the second it’s a “coming down”.

  • “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” Revelation 19:14 (KJV) – The Second Coming

#3: In the Pretribulation Rapture, the Church is taken to Heaven, at the Second Coming Jesus sets up earthly rule.

In both John and Paul’s writings, the promise of a “heavenly home” awaits for the born again Christian. We call this the Kingdom of God. But in the Second Coming, a thousand year kingdom is established on Earth, known as the Kingdom of Heaven. Christians are never promised an earthly home, but an heavenly one. The Jews and Tribulation saints were never promised that, they get instead a home on the Earth.

  • “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2,3 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4 (KJV) – The Second Coming

#4: The Pretribulation Rapture happens before the Antichrist and the Tribulation, while the Second Coming happens after both.

Paul stresses repeatedly that one of the incredible benefits of being taken out in the Rapture is that you get to miss the entire wrath of the Great Tribulation. But Matthew tells us that the Second Coming is “after the Tribulation of those days”. Well, which is it? If the Rapture and the Second Coming are the same event, then these verses represent an irreconcilable difference. But there is not a conflict because, obviously, they are two separate and distinct events.

  • “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “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;” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “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: 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.” Matthew 24:29,39 (KJV) – The Second Coming

#5: In the Pretribulation Rapture, only the born again Church sees the Lord come for them, at the Second Coming the whole world witnesses it.

Mockers of the doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture like to call it a “secret” Rapture, like that is somehow an insult to people who believe it. The apostle Paul, who the Holy Spirit used to write that doctrine, also viewed it as a secret, he called it a “mystery”. In the Rapture, only the redeemed hear the Shout of the Lord and He calls us up to be with Him in the air. At the Second Coming, Jesus appears in JUDGMENT to the whole world.

  • “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7 (KJV) – The Second Coming

#6: In the Pretribulation Rapture, no angels are sent to gather the Church. At the Second Coming, angels do all the gathering for judgment.

Paul says that it is Jesus Himself who comes to gather His Church up and out of here. We hear His Shout, and “in the twinkling of an eye” we are gone. No angels mentioned anywhere. Compare this with His Second Coming where only angels are sent to gather God’s elect, the Jewish remnant who made it through the Tribulation. Again, major difference.

  • “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:52 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:30,31 (KJV) – The Second Coming

#7: The Judgment Seat of Christ follows the Pretribulation Rapture while the Judgment of Nations follows the Second Coming.

Immediately after the Rapture of the Church, Paul says that we will be appearing before the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is not a judgment on sin, which was taken care of at Calvary, it is a judgement on the works we did or did not do for Jesus Christ after we got saved. But immediately after the Second Coming, the judgment that takes place is a public judgment, not of individuals, but of the nations.

  • “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:44-46 (KJV) – The Second Coming

#8: Famine, war and pestilence follow the Pretribulation Rapture while 1,000 years of world peace follows the Second Coming.

Again, the differences here could not be more apparent. After the Rapture, a time of unbelievable suffering is ushered in, the time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7). But after the Second Coming, a 1,000 reign of the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem brings a world peace so amazing that even poisonous animals are no longer dangerous. The verse in Matthew 24 where the apostles ask Jesus about the “sign of thy coming” is a direct reference to the Second Coming. The doctrine of the Rapture was unknown to them at this time and would not be revealed until Paul, 30 years from the writing of Matthew.

  • “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:3,6-8 (KJV)
  • “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:6-10 (KJV) – The Second Coming

#9: No one in the bible knew of the doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church until it was revealed by the Lord to Paul.

This is one of the greatest proof-texts for why the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming cannot be the same event. Paul, in Corinthians 15, is the very first to tell us of the Rapture of the Church, and lets us know that it is a “mystery” revealed by God to him alone which he then was charged with teaching the Church. Nearly every bible chronology places the date of the writing of Matthew at around 35 AD, and the writing of Corinthians at around 66 AD.

Why is this important? Because if no one knew of the doctrine of the Rapture of the Church until Paul, then Matthew 24 and 25 cannot be, under any circumstances, referring to the Church and the Rapture because no one knew of any Rapture. In fact, at the time of Matthew the Church itself was not even formed. If Matthew knew and wrote about the Rapture of the Church, then Paul was lying when he said it was a MYSTERY that he was revealing for the first time in Corinthians.

  • “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 (KJV) – The Rapture

#10: At the Pretribulation Rapture, believers are given a glorified body, at the Second Coming they remain in earthly bodies as they enter the Millennial Kingdom.

At the Rapture of the Church, great personal and physical change takes place for the believer. The Bible says that the born again believer receives a new body that is fashioned just like the “glorious body” that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself was given at His Resurrection. Wow, imagine that! How exciting for the believer to be able to look forward to that day. But at the Second Coming, as Jesus sets up His earthly government from Jerusalem, the people who made it through the Tribulation have no special bodies, and it is possible for them to die. Christians who get glorified bodies can never die.

  • “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Philippians 3:20,21 (KJV) – The Rapture
  • “But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.” Isaiah 65:17-21 (KJV) – The Second Coming

If you are not only a Bible believer but also intellectually honest, then you must admit that we have proved completely that the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ are two very different events with two very different results. In this article we have given 10 reasons as to why, but could easily provide another 20 examples of the differences between the two events.

Things that are different cannot be the same. Case closed.

 

Bible Doctrine

The Idea That We Are Now Living In Satan’s ‘Little Season’ From Revelation 20 Is Just Another End Times Smokescreen To Divert You From Bible Truth

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If we were in Satan’s ‘little season’ right now, King Jesus would be ruling on the throne in Jerusalem and Israel would be at peace

One of the ‘hot topics’ being debated on social media right now is the idea of whether or not we are living, right now, in the time of ‘Satan’s little season’ mentioned in the book of Revelation., which to me is quite puzzling. For even though we do not know when the Rapture of the Church will take place, everything that follows after is laid out in a manner as dependable as a bus or train schedule. Amillennialism is gaining in popularity right now, but as you’ll soon see, it’s just another end times smokescreen that is quickly and easily resolved in the dispensational look at and rightly dividing of scripture.

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” Revelation 20:2,3 (KJB)

Social media is filled with Roman Catholics, Calvinists, Amillennialists, Mormons, pre-wrath Rapturists, Christian Nationalists and many other types of “Bible authorities” yet the King James Bible believer is a relatively under-represented group which usually gets drowned out in all the noise. So let’s take a few minutes and look at what the Bible has to say about why it would be impossible for us to be, now, in the time of Satan’s ‘little season’ from the book of Revelation.

7 Reasons Why We Cannot Be In Satan’s ‘Little Season’ Right Now

I. The “little season” is after Satan is bound for a thousand years

The passage defines the order:

  • Satan is bound for 1,000 years
    “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,” 

  • He is shut up and sealed so he cannot deceive the nations during that time
    “And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” 

So biblically, you cannot have “the little season” unless the 1,000-year binding happened first. Have we seen any of the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Mark of the Beast, the 144,000, the Two Witnesses, the Second Advent, the Battle of Armageddon and the sitting of King Jesus on the throne of David? No we have not, and appealing to “types and pictures” will not get the job done. So technically we could end this mini Bible Study right here as we have already proved our point beyond the shadow of any doubt, reasonable or otherwise.


II. The thousand-year period follows Christ’s return and the defeat of the Beast and False Prophet

Revelation 19 shows the end-of-tribulation war against Christ, and the Beast/False Prophet are judged:

  • “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.” 

  • “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” 

  • “And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” 

Then Revelation 20 moves to Satan being bound for the 1,000 years. Revelation show us that Satan is bound at the start of the Millennial Reign of King Jesus, rendering it impossible for Satan to be in his ‘little season’ right now.


III. If we were past the Millennium, Satan would have been sealed so he could not deceive the nations — but Scripture describes him operating now

During the thousand years, Satan is sealed “that he should deceive the nations no more”, thus ushering in a time period of perfect peace free from any and all satanic temptations. Yet in the present, in the Church Age, Scripture describes the devil actively working:

  • “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 

  • “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” 

  • “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 

  • “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”

That doesn’t read like a world that has already gone through a 1,000-year period where Satan was shut up, sealed, and unable to deceive the nations. For the past 6,000 years, Satan has had full reign over the “kingdoms of this world”, and remains active right now. The idea that we are in Satan’s ‘little season’ sounds like something Satan has put out there to confuse Bible deficient Christians and cause chaos and confusion.


IV. The Millennium includes a specific reign with Christ tied to the “first resurrection”

Revelation 20 describes thrones, martyrs, and reigning with Christ for the thousand years:

  • “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” 

  • “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” 

  • “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” 

The ‘little season’ cannot be now unless all of that has already happened and completed.


V. Satan is loosed only when the thousand years are expired, then he is cast into the lake of fire

Here is the sequence for the ‘little season’ and its ending:

  • “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,” 

  • “And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.” 

  • “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” 

  • “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” 

Notice how Rev. 20:10 says the devil is cast into the lake of fire “where the beast and the false prophet are”—and Revelation 19:20 already told you when the Beast and False Prophet got there.


VI. Conclusion (plain Bible logic)

Biblically, “Satan’s little season” can’t be the present time, because it requires:

  1. Satan already bound and sealed for 1,000 years

  2. The thousand-year reign with Christ (with the “first resurrection” context) already completed

  3. Then Satan loosed after those 1,000 years expire

VII. The Coming Kingdom

Once the Thousand Year Reign of King Jesus starts, the rule of Jesus will never, ever come to an end as the Bible testifies to. At the end of the Thousand Years, John says that God will let Satan out of his chains, and allow him to deceive the world one last time. This ends with Satan’s ‘little season’ and the Battle of Gog and Magog, which is over almost before it starts. After this comes the Great White Throne Judgment, the casting of the Devil and all his followers from Hell into the Lake of Fire, and then the entire Earth will be burned up and remade in complete, Godly perfection.

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” Revelation 20:11-13 (KJB)

If Jesus is, as the cults say, now “ruling invisibly” from Heaven, you’d be forced to admit He isn’t doing a very good job. Sin and darkness increase on the Earth on an hourly basis, wrongs are not righted most of the time, and the wicked oppress the innocent  day and night. False teachers and preachers make millions teaching lies, and the word of God is blasphemed every day of the week. That is the current state of the “kingdom”, over which the Devil is currently ruling. But hold on, the King is coming.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” Isaiah 2:2-5 (KJB)

No, when the King of Kings arrives, none of those things will happen for even a single second. And the Kingdom will not be the imaginary invisible one so loved by the Preterists, Amillennialists and Jehovah’s Witnesses. The kingdom of King Jesus will be right where the Bible says it will be, in Jerusalem, on the Earth. It will be a thousand years of perfect rule and perfect reign of the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS Jesus Christ. Satan will be a footnote.

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Bible Doctrine

The ‘Day-Year’ Formula Found In Your King James Bible Shows You How God Uses Prophetic Days To Represent Years In The Unfolding Of Revelation

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The ‘Day-Year’ Formula laid out in scripture by God shows us a doctrinal framework for unlocking past and future Bible prophecy using a day for a year

In our morning Bible study today, we came across another one of those explosive verses that serve to unlock prophetic scripture, the ‘Day-Year Formula’ of interpretation. Ezekiel is commanded by God to lay on his side for 390 days, with each day representing a one-year period of time. God uses this formula multiple times throughout scripture, and it is the key to unlocking super-important time clues about the coming time of Jacob’s trouble and the revealing of the man of sin.

For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.” Ezekiel 4:5,6 (KJB)

The first place we read about the ‘Day-Year Formula’ is found in Numbers with Moses. God uses days to represent years, and here in its first mention, it is being used to show the 40 days of unbelief match perfectly with why the Jews were made to wander for 40 years in the wilderness in a perfect 1:1 ratio.

“After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.” Numbers 14:34 (KJB)

These two passages are the only ones that explicitly tell you how God is implementing and using the ‘day-year’ formula, but once we have established this doctrinal principle, it becomes clear to see in other passages as well. Perhaps the most famous place is found in the writings of the prophet Daniel.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” Daniel 9:24 (KJB)

If you simply take 70 weeks from the time that Daniel wrote this, a little more than one year in the Hebrew calendar, it doesn’t have very much significance at all. But if you apply the prophetic ‘Day-Year’ Formula to those 70 weeks, turning it into a 490 year period, you have this:

The 70 Weeks Of The Prophet Daniel

Segment Years Days Event
7 Weeks 49 yrs 17,640 days Rebuilding Jerusalem
62 Weeks 434 yrs 156,240 days Unto “Messiah the Prince”
69 Weeks Total 483 yrs 173,880 days Triumphal Entry (Apr. 6, AD 32)
Gap Church Age
70th Week 7 yrs 2,520 days Tribulation / Antichrist Covenant

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” Daniel 9:26 (KJB) 

Paul tells us to ‘rightly divide’ in 2 Timothy 2:15, and when we do this is what we see:

  • 7 Weeks or 49 years – fulfilled
  • 62 Weeks of 434 years – fulfilled
  • 69 Weeks leading up to the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (483 years total) – Fulfilled

What’s missing is the final week of 7 days for 7 years of the time of Jacob’s trouble and the Great Tribulation, with the Antichrist confirming the covenant. The week itself being dividing into two parts of 3.5 years each.

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Daniel 9:27 (KJB)

Daniel says that this still yet future time period will last for exactly 7 years, and in the middle of the ‘week’. there will be a ‘break’ where something crazy huge happens. This is shown to us with crystal clarity in the New Testament.

  • “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” Matthew 24:15 (KJB)
  • “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 (KJB)
  • “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” Revelation 13:5 (KJB)

So when does this last ‘week’ begin? It begins in the immediate aftermath of an event we call the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church. You must remember that Daniel’s 70 Prophetic Weeks, or 490 calendar years, are given to ‘thy people’, the Jews, and to ‘thy holy city’, Jerusalem. The Church is not part of any of that! The Church is created at the end of Daniel’s 69th week, and we are removed just prior to the start of 70th week. Christians do not replace the Jews, and the Church does not replace Israel. And when the Lord comes and gets us as He’s promised, then the last week of Daniel’s prophecy, a 7-year period, will begin. I hope this short Bible Study lesson impresses upon you the importance of reading the Bible dispensationally, as God wrote it, and rightly dividing what we read, as Paul commands. Because without that, you’ll miss all this by a country mile.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

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But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORTTO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

 

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Bible Doctrine

You May Think You Might Want America To Be Governed By Christian Nationalism, But You Would Wind Up With A ‘1984’ Version Of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Instead

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An American run by Christian Nationalists would give you George Orwell’s ‘1984’ but with a Bible and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ thrown in for good measure

On the surface, having an America governed by biblical principles sounds like a really good idea, until you really think about it and realize what a terrible idea it actually is. There’s a reason why none of the apostles were Christian Nationalists advocating for spiritual rule over an earthly domain. Because the kingdom of God, the one all born again believers are begotten into, is not of this world. The kingdom that is of this world in our day and age is the coming kingdom of Antichrist.

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36 (KJB)

From a doctrinal standpoint, all Christian Nationalists are post-millennialists, or as we like to say around here, Post Toasties. They believe that Jesus is not going to return as KING OF KINGS to bring in His Kingdom, as the Bible clearly teaches, but that they have been charged with building it for Him. This is why they hate Dispensationalism so much, because it gives Jesus Christ too much glory, and doesn’t give them any. To which I say ‘too bad, so sad’. So what would a Christian Nationalist America look like? Like George Orwell’s 1984 but with a Bible thrown in, combined with ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. It would create a nation draped in Christian symbols, but devoid of Christian character.

The Bible consistently warns against merging the Kingdom of God with earthly political power. When we examine the teachings of Jesus and the early Church, we find a clear theological argument against Christian Nationalism.

5 Biblical Reasons Against Christian Nationalism

1. Jesus Rejected Political Power

  • In John 18:36, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” This means His followers were not to seek dominion through earthly governments or armies.

  • When Satan offered Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” (Matthew 4:8–10), Jesus refused. Christian Nationalism reverses this, seeking to claim worldly power in the name of Christ.

2. The Early Church Thrived Without Political Control

  • The apostles spread the Gospel under pagan Roman rule — with no Christian laws, leaders, or privileges.

  • They called believers to holiness and witness, not to legislate morality through the empire.

  • Christianity spread by example and persuasion, not coercion.

3. Idolatry of Nation

  • In Christian Nationalism, patriotism can easily become idolatry — placing love of country above loyalty to God.

  • The Bible warns, “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). When “America First” becomes a creed, it replaces “Thy Kingdom come.”

4. God’s People Are a Spiritual, Not Political, Nation

  • 1 Peter 2:9 calls believers “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation.” But that “nation” is not defined by borders or flags — it’s the global body of Christ.

  • Christian Nationalism tries to recreate Israel’s theocracy, forgetting that the New Covenant is spiritual, not ethnic or territorial.

5. The Cross vs. the Sword

  • The Gospel advances through sacrifice and love, not domination.

  • When faith is enforced by law or violence, it ceases to be Christian — it becomes Caesar’s religion, not Christ’s.

John Calvin and the ‘City of God’

In the mid-1500s, the French reformer John Calvin established a religious government in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It was called ‘The City of God’. His vision was to create a “godly commonwealth” governed by biblical principles — a society where civil law reflected divine law. Calvin believed that the Church and the civil magistrate should work hand in hand to enforce Christian morality. Geneva was thus a fusion of church and state. This experiment was a failure for the following reasons:

From a biblical standpoint, Calvin’s Geneva shows the dangers of fusing faith and power:

1. Coerced Religion Isn’t True Faith

The Gospel calls for voluntary belief, not state-enforced conformity. The Apostle Paul said, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5). When conversion or obedience is compelled by threat of punishment, it ceases to be genuine faith.

2. Human Authority Replaced the Holy Spirit

In Geneva, the government — not the Spirit — became the enforcer of sanctification. That undermines the personal relationship between believer and God.

3. Loss of the Gospel’s Freedom

Paul wrote, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1). Calvin’s Geneva replaced spiritual freedom with religious control, echoing the same authoritarian structure Protestantism had rebelled against in the Catholic hierarchy.

4. Corruption of Witness

By persecuting dissenters, Geneva set a pattern that would echo through later Protestant states — in Puritan New England and elsewhere — proving that theocracy always leads to hypocrisy and oppression.


Verdict: Geneva Was Early Christian Nationalism

So, yes — Calvin’s Geneva was a proto–Christian Nationalist experiment. It sought to make the state explicitly Christian, to legislate morality, and to punish deviation from biblical norms. It produced moral discipline, but also fear, hypocrisy, and persecution. An America run by Christian Nationalists would be ten time worse.

In conclusion, we see that it is impossible as well as unbiblical to attempt to create any type of theocracy without the King being physically present. When King Jesus does arrive, with the Body of Christ on horseback behind Him (Revelation 19:14), He won’t need a lick of help to bring in the Kingdom of Heaven on the Earth to Israel. You cannot merge politics with biblical Christianity, and the only people who would want that, are people who desire to lord over you and control you. A Bible believer rejects Christian Nationalism in all its many forms, seeking instead to bring the gospel to whosoever will receive it. Our kingdom, the Kingdom of God, the one that Paul preached, is not of this world, amen? Amen!

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

nteb-free-king-james-bible-program-750-550

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORTTO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Continue Reading

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