The Stones Cry Out

There are numerous resources and theories on the end times.  In most of the books and websites devoted to this subject, I have found that there is a lack of discussion about the key role that the Creation itself plays in future times.  The fact is that it is often portrayed in Scripture as the instrument with which God executes His divine will and judgment.  This page will therefore focus on the geologic elements of the end times as they are presented in Scripture.  There are many biblical references such as the verse above to the vast fury unleashed in nature that many commentators have so far either ignored, glossed over or recklessly interpreted based on a misunderstanding of earth’s processes.  It is the goal of this site to carefully offer plausible interpretations of the relevant passages while also conveying the biblical message that those will be days of God’s judgment and sovereign reign.

Even within the Christian community, there is considerable debate regarding the timing and the events that lead up to, and consummate the earth’s last days.  It may be helpful to now outline the events of the future as I believe they are given chronologically in God’s Word before going into each in detail (click the links on the outline to go to the detail page for each event).

• Today
• The Rapture of the Church

• The Tribulation Period

  • Begins with the Anti-Christ signing a covenant with Israel
  • Will last seven years
    • The Tribulation = 1^st three and a half years
      • Seven Seal Judgments 
      • Seven Trumpet Judgments
    • The Great Tribulation = 2^nd three and a half years
      • Seven Bowl Judgments
  • Ends with the Battle of Armageddon
• The Millennial (1,000 Year) Reign of Christ on Earth
  • Begins with  Christ’s Second Coming during the Battle of Armageddon
  • Satan is bound for the 1,000 years
  • Ends with Satan’s release
• The Final Rebellion and Judgment
  • Satan is released
  • Gog and Magog invasion
  • Satan and his vast army defeated
  • Great White Throne Judgment
• The New, Eternal Heavens and Earth

*With few exceptions this is the generally accepted chronology of modern pre-Tribulational, pre-Millennial scholars such as John Walvoord, Tim Lahaye, J. Dwight Pentecost, Mark Hitchcock, etc… 

Pre-Tribulational is defined as…there will be a rapture of the church before the Tribulation Period.

Pre-Millennial is defined as…we are now living in a time before Christ’s literal, physical 1,000-year reign on earth.

With the timeline and definitions established, we will press on with more detail into the unfolding of these events as they are portrayed in the Bible.  Before we do, you may be wondering why I am only citing the Bible, and not the Mayans, Nostradamus, Joseph Smith, the Qur’an or some other source.  The reasoning is simple, and it is found…in the Bible.  Deuteronomy 18:22 says, “when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken presumptuously.  You need not be afraid of him”.  This is sound advice.  If somebody offers a prediction and it does not come true, they are a false prophet, plain and simple, and they cannot be trusted.  The Bible is unique in that every prediction it has made has so far come true.  It is therefore the best source for future predictions as it and it alone was authored by the One who knows future events because He has already seen them happen!

Today:

Life as usual.  There is a great temptation to adopt the attitude of the scoffers in 2Pet. 3:4 who say, “Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”  This uniformitarian view may seem justified in our daily grind, but Peter goes on to say that these people overlook the facts of Creation (v. 5).  There is a Creator, and His eternal power and divine nature are clearly manifested in His Creation (Ps. 19:1; Rom. 1:20).  Since there was a beginning (Gen. 1:1), there will be an end.  When these facts are accounted for, it becomes obvious that our daily grind will not go on forever.  There are things going on in the world today that are paving the way for the events that are discussed below.  There is great change coming, and the Bible says will happen…in the twinkling of an eye.

“Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Heb. 4:7b)

The Rapture of the Church:

There is some disagreement on the timing of the rapture, but most scholars agree that it is a distinct event from the Second Coming of Christ.  As mentioned above, I believe the Bible speaks of a pre-Tribulation Rapture.  There are many resources out there with lengthy discussions on the subject, and it is outside the scope of this site to do so except for a brief listing of the biblical evidence.  The word ‘Rapture’ comes from the Latin word rapturo which the Vulgate uses to translate the Greek word harpazo.  Harpazo means to snatch away forcefully and in one of the key passages on the rapture it is translated as “caught up” (1Thess. 4:17).  The idea is that anyone since the resurrection of Christ who has placed their faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins will be “caught up” to be with Him when He comes for His church just before the Tribulation Period.  The dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive will be changed into our incorruptible bodies in the twinkling of an eye (1Cor. 15:51-52).  The key passages which discuss the Rapture are John 14:1-3; 1Cor. 15:50-57; 1Thess. 4:13-18; 2Thess. 2:1-7; and Rev. 4:1.

We can estimate the decimation of this event and the remnant population on earth.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 310 million people in the U.S. and over 6.8 billion people in the world (http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html - accessed 1/11/2011).  Even though people who claim to be Christians account for around 2 billion, true Bible-believing, born-again Christians number around 650 million (http://frontierharvestministries.net/WorldMissionStatistics.dsp - accessed 1/11/2011).  It is this group that accounts for nearly 10% of the global population that will be raptured.  According to a 2005 Gallup Poll, about 48% of Americans say they have been born-again (http://www.gallup.com/poll/16519/us-evangelicals-how-many-walk-walk.aspx - accessed 1/11/2011).  The U.S. has then about ¼ of the world’s Christian population.  Consider the effect on our country as nearly half of its citizens disappear in the Rapture.  Consider the effect on the world when nearly 10% of the people are gone in an instant. 

When will the Rapture happen?  Jesus said, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matt. 24:36).  There is no event mentioned in Scripture which must yet happen before the Rapture.  There are no signs in the natural world which foretell or accompany the Rapture which makes it unique among end times events.  But it must happen before the world enters the greatest period of tribulation since man has been on the earth.

More Coming soon on End Times Geology including the Tribulation judgments and the Millenium...check back later.