God’s midnight hour is almost upon us…
The nations are definitely in an uproar! The entire world is devising ways to rid themselves of the gracious yoke of God on their lives. Right now, it is still individuals and groups who are working hard at delegitimizing God’s beneficial authority over mankind, but soon—very soon—the global network of humanism will be solidified and then things will get worse… much, much worse…
Psalm 2
Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!”
He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.”
Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
Do you think Psalm 2 is talking about a time in the life of David that has come and gone?
Do you think Psalm 2 is talking prophetically about a time that is yet future?
Acts 4:24-31 tells us the first three verses were fulfilled in part when Peter and John were told to stop speaking in the Name of Jesus. These verses may seem to have happened a multitude of other times, and probably have in one form or another, but they have not been completely fulfilled. Psalm 2 refers to the entire world gathering together in a tumultuous frenzy with one purpose—to organize the overthrow of God as their ruler. This global initiative has not taken place—not yet…
However… this most certainly will happen. And the time for its fulfillment draws close… very close. Just watch the peoples of the world writhe, struggle, and thrash against anything righteous, godly, or Christian. Watch them make each decision, personal or national (and that includes almost every church, as well), based entirely on what man thinks rather than on what God says. Yes, the time is drawing near.
As far as the Son of God ruling the entire world with a rod of iron, He has not done so, although He will soon. And when He does, make no mistake about it, no one will miss it!
When will it happen? Well… we don’t have the time or space in this blog to go over Daniel, Revelation, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Peter completely for you (although you can go to WORDCenterMinistries.org and find audio teachings and Observation Bible Study Guides on these books and more), but we can give you a few choice tidbits to chew on.
Two big events are slated to happen soon.
One is what is called the Rapture, which is the “catching up” of the saints. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57) In a nutshell, all believers, (true Christians) will be caught up together—all at one time—in the clouds to meet Christ.
When this happens there will be great sounds. The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God—the Lord’s Own shout, the archangel’s voice, and God’s Own trumpet will announce this longed-for event!
Those who have already died will be resurrected (their bodies, which will rise as new glorified bodies, will be united with their souls and then quickly caught up to meet Christ. As this happens to them, those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will be caught up together (at the exact same time) with those who are dead in Christ.
Once it happens we will always be with the Lord—never to be separated again! What comfort and anticipation for true believers!
The second big event is called the Great Tribulation, which is a 3 1/2 year period in which Satan will come against the Jews and God will both punish the Jews to the point of their repentance and judge the whole earth with His righteous wrath. The Great Tribulation takes place during the second half of what is called Daniel’s 70th week (a 7 year period of time kicked off by the signing of a 7 year covenant to bring peace to the Jews). Its finish will be the consummation of Israeli history.
During the first half of Daniel’s 70th week things will seem to go fairly well for the Jews because of the covenant, at least in contrast to how they were going for them before the covenant, but at the mid-point an evil character called the anti-christ will reveal himself by breaking this very covenant. This will officially start the 3 1/2 year period of the Great Tribulation. The antichrist will then commit terrible atrocities against the Jewish people, including declaring himself to be God in the very temple of God. (Yes, that means that the temple will be rebuilt before the Great Tribulation.) And he will control the world in a way that is almost unimaginable.
This time of tribulation, it must be understood, is not against the church (which will most likely be raptured by then, anyway), but will be leveled against the Jews. Let me say it again—the Great Tribulation is all about the Jews, God’s chosen people. It will break them down to the point of repentance, although only 1/3 will survive. There has never been anything like this terrifying time to come, which the Bible calls Jacob’s Distress, including the unspeakable atrocities of the Holocaust.
Now, don’t think that things will be fine and dandy previous to the Great Tribulation because they won’t. There will be “birth pangs” leading up to the time of Jacob’s Distress. (Matthew 24) There will also be seals of judgments broken before that time. Six seals will be broken which will unleash unheard of terrors on the world (against the inhabitants of the earth). Then a seventh seal will be broken, which is composed of seven trumpet judgments—the seventh trumpet comprising seven bowl judgments. But when the seventh trumpet is sounded—the Great Tribulation will begin. (Revelation 5-19)
What will end this terrible time of distress and anguish? The Messiah, Christ Jesus, the Lord, will come for the second time! He came once, a little over 2,000 years ago, but His people, the Jews, did not recognize the time of their visitation, the time in which He came to take care of them. He will come once again, this time to make all things right. God will pour out the Spirit of grace and supplication on His people, with the result that they will recognize Him and mourn over the fact that they killed him. (Zechariah 12)
Then, their beloved Messiah will deliver them and save them from both the world (including the antichrist) and their sins. He will enter into the New Covenant with them and they will be His people and He will be their God once again—and this time, for all of eternity!
God has always existed in His Glorious Glory. He created His creation so His Glory would be seen. Much has happened in God’s timeline of history since that time—sin entered the world through man and man caused it to flourish, God destroyed His creation because of sin, God formed the nations and then He formed the nation of Israel, and the Messiah came but Israel rejected Him.
Much is happening now in the age of the church. Israel has been set aside in the economy of God and He has ushered in His New Covenant without her. The body of Christ is being completed and God’s Glory is being seen, although through only a few.
Much is left to happen—Daniel’s 70th week must take place and finish Israel’s history, the Glorious second coming of the Messiah in which the entire world will see Him as He really is—Majestic, Terrible, and Wonderful! There will be the judgment of the nations and then the Son of God, Jesus Christ, will rule the entire world for 1,000 years with a rod of iron. Satan will be bound during the Millennial Reign, only to be released for a short time, in which he will deceive people in all four corners of the world. The deceived nations will come against God in a battle called Gog and Magog, in which God will wipe them off the face of the earth with fire from heaven—no battle will even take place! After the final “battle” God will judge the dead and send them to their rightful addresses in the lake of fire for all of eternity. Finally a new heaven will reveal a new earth. A new Jerusalem will be on the new earth and believers will dwell with their God beyond the horizon of eternity future! (Revelation 20-22)
Does it sound great at the end… but scary up till then? Do not fear! Remember the promise God gives us in Psalm 2:12, “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
